


The Game

by mulderette



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Mental Anguish, Team, inj
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-06-27 13:29:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 65,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15686361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mulderette/pseuds/mulderette
Summary: Callen and the team are kidnapped and forced to become participants in a deadly game.





	1. Chapter 1

The man smiled as he watched Callen and his team enter the warehouse through the screens of the video surveillance system. They were so predictable. Setting this up had been like child's play. He truly hoped they would prove to be more of a challenge once he had them all in his custody. If not, it would be a huge disappointment. He turned to the tall, burly man standing beside him. He had a menacing expression on his face and wasn't the sort of person you'd ever want to meet alone in an alley. He was the leader of a cold-blooded group of mercenaries, perfect for what he'd hired them for. "Take them down, Burke," he growled.

Burke smiled in evil delight and went to gather the rest of the crew together. This was going to be fun.

xxxxx

Burke decided to go for the woman. Their targets were largely outnumbered so he knew none of the team members would be too difficult to capture. He beckoned his partner and they crept towards Kensi, who was stealthily moving away from them. He clasped his beefy hand over her mouth and smirked as she futilely struggled to escape his grasp. His partner then injected the contents of a syringe into her arm. In only moments, her body went limp. As they dragged Kensi away, Burke couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. They had been given strict orders not to harm any of the agents unless absolutely necessary, but he couldn't help but hope he'd be given the chance to bestow his considerable charms on this woman in the near future.

xxxxx

Deeks was next. He was slowly moving toward the east end of the warehouse, as he searched for the suspects they were there to apprehend. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow approaching and swiftly turned in that direction, but two other men quickly arrived to aid the other assailant. Deeks struggled and tried to kick his attackers, but was quickly and efficiently taken down. Once he had succumbed to the drug, two of the men dragged him off.

xxxxx

Sam and Callen separated, going to the north and south ends of the warehouse respectively. One of the men stalking Sam decided to take no chances and hit him over the head with a pistol causing him to heavily fall to the floor, unconscious. They then injected him with the same drug they had used on Kensi and Deeks and left him on the floor, as bait for his partner.

xxxxx

Callen looked around the south end of the warehouse but found no one. He then headed back to where Sam was supposed to be. When he saw his partner lying on the floor he ran over to him and knelt by his side, immediately noting the blood on his head. "Sam? Sam, can you hear me? Come on, wake up." He was about to call for an ambulance when his arms were grabbed by men on either side of him and he was yanked up off the floor. He twisted ferociously to escape their grip, but it was to no avail. He felt a burning pain in his right arm and unable to resist the strong drug entering his system, he lapsed into unconsciousness.

xxxxx

"Why wasn't I informed of this before now?" Hetty barked into the phone. "I should have been notified the instant he escaped from the infirmary. Not to mention, I'd like to know how such a thing happened. You'd better find him and find him quickly." Hetty slammed the phone down and turned towards Eric and Nell. "Call Mr. Callen and put him on speaker phone, immediately."

Eric did as Hetty requested and then turned toward her with a worried look on his face. "He's not answering, Hetty."

"Try Mr. Hanna then," Hetty said.

Once again, Eric did as Hetty asked then shook his head. "Sorry, Hetty, I can't get Sam either."

"Mr. Deeks? Miss Blye? Surely you can reach one of them," Hetty said, a knot beginning to form in the pit of her stomach.

Eric dialed Kensi's number while Nell tried Deeks. Both attempts were unsuccessful.

"Are they still at the warehouse?" Hetty asked, her concern growing more and more by the second.

"Their phones are there," Eric said. "But…"

"But what, Eric?" Hetty asked, her impatience very evident.

"The phones are all bunched up, almost like they've been tossed together somewhere. He quickly started pressing keys on his computer keyboard but looked discouraged as he did so. "I can't get into whatever kind of surveillance system is in the warehouse," he said. "There's some kind of a firewall blocking me. It may take some time to hack into it, and there aren't any traffic cameras in this area."

Hetty shook her head. "We don't have time for this. The two of you are coming with me. We're going to go check out the warehouse ourselves."

xxxxx

Deeks was the first one to come to. He felt himself being bounced around on what felt like a very bad road and he struggled to open his eyes. At first, his vision was blurred and he blinked a few times to clear it. Once he could see more clearly, he saw that he was in the back of a truck, which was dimly lit by a portable LED light attached to the wall. His hands were tightly handcuffed behind his back and his feet were tightly bound. His three teammates were all cuffed and bound in the same way and all seemed to be unconscious. He turned his attention to Kensi first. "Kensi?" he called softly. "Come on, sweetheart, can you wake up for me?" He had no luck awakening her, but Sam started to stir.

"Oooh," Sam groaned softly. He tried to raise his hand to his head and realized he was handcuffed. "Damn…what the heck hit me?"

"They hit you?" Deeks asked. "They injected me with some kind of drug, I guess just to knock me out. At least I hope that's all it was."

"I think they drugged me too," Sam said, focusing his vision on Deeks. "My arm is sore and I feel kind of loopy." He looked at his partner who appeared to be out cold. "Hey, G? Can you hear me? Come on, buddy, wake up."

"Sam? Did you see who did this?" Deeks asked. "I saw them, but I didn't recognize them. Big guys, obviously professionals."

At that moment, Kensi began to stir. Deeks looked at her in relief. "Kens? Hey baby, are you okay?"

"I feel kind of nauseous," Kensi said as she finally managed to open her eyes and looked back at Deeks. "Where are we? Are you okay?"

Deeks nodded. "I'm fine baby. As to where we are? Your guess is as good as mine," he said. "I guess you didn't recognize anyone either?"

"No…" She looked back at Deeks and then at Sam, obviously worried. "This is really bad…" Her eyes then settled on Callen. "How long have we been out?" she asked.

"No idea," Sam replied, turning his attention back to his partner. "G? Come on, wake up." His partner remained still and Sam couldn't help but be concerned that he was still unconscious. "G, wake up," he repeated, more loudly this time.

The three agents all focused their attention on Callen, watching him closely. After about five more minutes, they breathed a collective sigh of relief when he finally showed signs of coming around.

"G? Can you hear me?" Sam asked again. "WAKE UP!"

Callen nodded his head as he struggled to fully awaken. He felt very woozy and was having a difficult time fully escaping the effects of whatever he'd been drugged with. He started to fall back asleep, but was jarred out of the woozy feeling when Sam practically yelled at him to wake up.

Kensi and Deeks exchanged a look when Sam screamed. "Calm down, man," Deeks said

"I'm awake," Callen said, his voice slightly slurred as he finally opened his eyes, feeling a little bit dizzy and off kilter as he did so. Once he had regained his equilibrium, he looked at his teammates, alarmed as he began to comprehend their situation. "Where are we? What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Sam said, still feeling a bit worried about his partner. "Are you okay?"

Callen nodded. "Last thing I remember was finding you, unconscious in the warehouse. I think I should be asking you if you're okay. I was about to call an ambulance."

"I'm fine, G," Sam said. "I've got a hard head."

"Are you two alright?" Callen asked, turning to Kensi and Deeks.

"We're okay," Kensi answered as Deeks nodded in agreement.

"I wonder what this is about," Callen mused as he tested the handcuffs, in an attempt to try to get out of them. They were very tight though and he didn't have anything with him that would be useful in unlocking them.

At that point, the four agents all lapsed into silence, all of them extremely worried and tense about what this was all about and exactly where they were going. One thing they were pretty sure of…they were in a whole world of trouble...


	2. Chapter 2

"So, does anyone have any suggestions?" Callen asked after about 10 minutes of silence. He was continuing to struggle with the handcuffs to no avail.

"Not much we can do…not the way they have us secured. They made sure we wouldn't be able to get out of these cuffs," Sam said, observing Callen's attempts to get loose "You should save your energy, G. You're just going to mess up your wrists. Deeks is right that these guys are professionals. You won't be able to free yourself."

Callen finally stopped. "I wish we knew what this was about."

"It could be almost anything," Deeks said. "Look how many people we've brought down as a team."

Sam nodded. "Though I do wonder if whoever this is has a grudge against all of us or only one or two of us," he said musingly. "Some of us could be collateral…"

"That's not a very comforting thought," Kensi said, giving Sam a worried look. "I wonder where they're taking us."

"No way of knowing that…" Deeks said, "But I have a good feeling we're going to get out of whatever this is…"

"I really wish I shared your good feeling, Deeks," Callen said, grimly. Without thinking, he went back to trying to escape the handcuffs.

"G…" Sam said quietly.

"Sorry." Once again, Callen ceased his escape attempts. "This is just making me nuts," he admitted with a sigh.

"I know it is," Sam said, "but for right now, we just need to keep as calm as we can. We need to keep our wits about us until we find out what's going on."

"I wonder how long we've been in here," Deeks said. "There's no way we can even estimate since we don't know how long we were knocked out for."

"I guess we can speculate all we want," Sam stated, "But until this truck stops and someone opens up that door, it's all just guesswork…"

xxxxx

When Hetty, Eric and Nell reached the warehouse, they found Sam's Challenger and Deeks' and Kensi's vehicle parked outside. Nothing seemed to be amiss with either of them. "I guess maybe we should go inside?" Nell questioned, not looking like she particularly wanted to.

Hetty nodded. "Let's go." The three entered the warehouse and slowly began to make their way through it, searching for any clues as to what could have happened to the team. Nothing at all seemed amiss until they reached the location of the cell phones. All four of them had been tossed into a metal trash can. "Not good," Eric commented, looking extremely worried.

"No. This isn't good at all," Hetty replied. "I don't understand what could have happened. We need to see if there is any kind of a surveillance system here."

After performing a thorough search of the warehouse and coming up empty, they reached a locked office. Hetty picked the lock and they went inside. There, they found a computer as well as monitors which looked like a security system. "Eric?" Hetty said.

Eric sat down at the computer and immediately went to work as Hetty and Nell anxiously looked on. He began to rewind through the video footage and stopped when he reached the section which showed Callen as he was grabbed and then drugged. He continued on as one by one, they watched what happened to Sam, Deeks and Kensi.

"Eric…is there any footage showing the outside of the warehouse?" Hetty asked, her voice calm and steady, the direct opposite of what she was feeling inside. Each time she had seen one of the team members go down, she had felt more and more sickened. "Perhaps we can see the vehicle they used to transport them in?"

Eric shook his head as he searched the system. "There are outside cameras, but…I don't see any vehicles. I think they somehow got rid of the footage, but I don't understand why they didn't wipe all of it."

"Do you think they wanted us to see what happened?" Nell asked.

"Perhaps so," said Hetty. "Unfortunately, we don't appear to have any clues as to who may have done this." She refused to think the earlier phone call was a part of this. How could it be? It just didn't seem possible to her.

"I'm sorry, Hetty," Eric said, giving her an apologetic look. "As of right now, we don't. Maybe we can come up with something back in Ops."

Hetty nodded, but her hopes of that happening weren't very high at all.

xxxxx

After possibly another hour or so, the truck jerked to a stop. The four teammates immediately went on alert, all their senses heightened.

"Everyone keep cool," Sam said, his eyes focused on the truck's door.

Callen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he tried to slow his heartbeat, which had begun to increase, while Deeks and Kensi exchanged a meaningful look.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the door slowly began to open. When it was fully raised, four men stood behind it, Burke and three other men behind him. Burke climbed up into the truck and faced the agents. "I don't want any funny business from any of you. Keep your mouths shut and do as I say and we'll all get along just fine." He then turned back to the men outside the truck. "Untie their feet and bring them to the helicopter."

Callen looked at Sam, his eyes alarmed. "A helicopter?" he asked, turning his head toward Burke. "Where are you taking us?"

"Mistake number one, Agent Callen," Burke said. "My boss won't be impressed if you keep this up. I do believe I told you to keep your mouths shut." He walked over to Kensi and punched her hard, on the left side of her face, causing her to cry out. "Sorry, doll face. You can blame your team leader for that one." Burke then turned back to the team. "So, now you see that disobedience has consequences. If one of you disobeys the rules, someone else will pay for it. So, unless you have a grudge against the other members of your team, I suggest you do as I say."

Callen gave Kensi a stricken look, and silently mouthed that he was sorry. Kensi mouthed back that she was okay. By now, the other men had entered the truck and were working on untying the team's feet. When that was done, they were roughly yanked into standing positions and pushed out of the truck, onto the ground. Once they were outside, they could see that they were in a very remote area. It appeared to be a deserted airstrip with an old building, which was obviously abandoned. It was in need of repairs and all the windows were boarded up. There was a black van, with a number of armed men outside of it, parked not too far from the truck. Up ahead, there was a large helicopter, which looked like a military aircraft.

"Damn…this isn't good," Sam murmured under his breath. Although his voice was barely above a whisper, Burke still heard Sam speak.

"Eenie…meenie…miney…mo…" Burke said slowly before he expertly aimed a vicious liver punch at Callen, causing him to double over in pain. I'm sure your partner appreciated that, Agent Hanna," Burke said with a sneer. "You appear to be slow learners, not a trait I would have expected from federal agents, especially with all I've heard about your team. I wonder how bad the punishments will need to get before you figure out that this isn't a game…the game hasn't even started yet…"

Sam cast an apologetic look in his partner's direction, but Callen didn't look back at him. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid as to speak. These guys obviously meant business. He didn't know what he had been thinking…well, he hadn't been thinking. He couldn't help but wonder who it was they were working for. It had to be someone with money and power and someone with a very big grudge against them. One thing was certain, he was going to have to be a hell of a lot more careful. Every move they made had the potential to cause dire consequences to members of the team.

Callen didn't hear a word Burke said. He was too busy trying to catch his breath and was barely able to keep from falling to the ground as he tried not to focus on the excruciating pain he was feeling.

Deeks looked at Callen sympathetically as he wondered what the hell this guy was talking about. A game? He was starting to think they were dealing with some kind of a psychopath. Any earlier optimism he had felt that they were going to get out of this was diminishing quickly. He glanced at Kensi and noted the redness of her cheek. That was definitely going to bruise. He hated that he couldn't comfort her in some way. He wished he could put his arm around her or hold her hand. He had to admit that such a gesture would be comforting to him as it well.

The team arrived at the helicopter and were harshly pulled onboard, then shoved onto the seats running along both sides of the aircraft. Callen and Deeks were on one side with Sam and Kensi facing them on the opposite side. They had been seated in the middle of the aircraft and, as the other men came aboard, they seated themselves on either side of the two pairs. "Same rules apply," Burke snarled at them. He then turned towards the other men. "If anyone hears a peep out of them, you know what to do." The 12 men nodded, some of them smirking or glaring at the captives, but most of them were stone-faced and seemed focused on whatever their mission was. Burke then walked up to the cockpit and called out that they were ready for takeoff. He buckled himself in and a few minutes later, the helicopter began its ascent.

As the helicopter rose up into the air, Deeks flashed a reassuring smile at Kensi who managed to smile weakly back at him. Kensi's smile didn't reflect in her eyes, however, and Deeks knew how anxious she was, although he also knew she would never show it. He wished they were seated beside each other, but was pretty sure they had been deliberately separated. It seemed like every move being made was well thought out and calculated.

Sam was seated somewhat awkwardly. With his hands cuffed behind him and being larger than his teammates, the seat didn't really accommodate him adequately. He needed to shift so that he was sitting more sideways than backed up into the seat. It wasn't very comfortable and he anticipated being tossed to the floor if they ran into any turbulence, since none of them were buckled into their seats. Once again he tried to catch his partner's eye, just to ensure himself that G was okay, but Callen seemed to be off in his own little world.

Ever since the hard punch he'd taken, Callen had been focused on his breathing, trying to normalize it and minimize the pain. Now, finally, the pain was beginning to subside a bit. He knew he was going to be sore the next day and he'd have a hell of a bruise, but he was pretty sure he hadn't sustained any significant injury. He glanced across the helicopter at Sam who was looking back at him anxiously. "Are you okay?" Sam mouthed at him. Callen nodded and he couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Sam appeared with the way he was sitting. Everything about this situation sucked. There was nothing he hated more than being under someone else's control and they still had no idea who was orchestrating this situation. He wondered if Eric and Nell would be able to track them, but with the way things were progressing, he was relatively sure that steps had been taken to avoid anyone easily finding them.

It was hard to tell how long they were in the air, at least an hour and a half, maybe more, when the helicopter began its downward descent. The four teammates exchanged apprehensive looks as they mentally tried to ready themselves for whatever it was that lay ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

The helicopter landed without incident and the team members shared apprehensive looks as they wondered what was going to happen next. Burke unbuckled himself from his seat and directed the men closest to the door to disembark. "Get up and move in single file to the doorway," he said, glaring at the team. "No funny business or you know what'll happen."

The team got to their feet and silently did as they had been ordered, none of them speaking a word. When they got to the ground they looked around in dismay. Wherever they were, it could best be described as being out in the middle of nowhere. At least that was the way it appeared. There was a group of about a dozen tents set up and that was about it. At least that was all that they could see. They stood there and waited in uneasy silence.

Burke went over to the helicopter and yelled in through the open doorway "Everyone's on the ground, boss!"

Moments later, a man, who must have been sitting in the cockpit with the pilot, or perhaps he was the pilot, got off of the helicopter and came over to the captives, a smile on his face. He was an older man, tall and fit-appearing with short grey hair and a hard look about him. "Agent Callen," he said, standing in front of the team leader, still smiling. "At last, we meet again."

Callen frowned as he stared back at the man blankly, not having any clue as to who he was.

"You don't remember me?" the man asked. "Well, I guess I'm not surprised. You were only about 15 when we met and I think it was only twice. You've changed quite a bit as well. I have seen many pictures, but still, it's always good to meet one's prey in person."

Prey? Callen didn't visibly respond to the word, but hearing it made him even more apprehensive. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the man, trying to place him and then, there was a look of recognition as he finally remembered.

"You do remember." The man nodded, seemingly pleased by this development. "Good, good. I was hoping you would."

Callen opened his mouth to speak but then looked at Burke and quickly closed it again, not wanting any of his teammates to suffer from his lapse.

"Please, speak," the man said, chuckling. "You have my permission. No one will be hurt because of it."

"You were a friend of Hetty's. Bartholomew Richards… I remember you being at her house."

"Exactly, but please, I go by Bart now. Bartholomew is far too formal, especially when you've been where I have been for the last 32 years."

"You only came by those two times…"

"Once again, you're correct. I went by many more times before your arrival, but yes, only twice after Henrietta took you in. She was exceedingly fond of you. At the time, it touched my heart, but then later…not so much."

"So this is about me?" Callen asked, looking confused.

"No, no," the man said, shaking his head. "Not really about you, well indirectly it is now, I suppose. This is about Henrietta and the fact that she threw many years of friendship up in my face. She betrayed me, Agent Callen, and now, she has to pay."

Callen nodded slowly. "Okay…I get that you want me for some twisted revenge plot against Hetty, but I don't get why you took my team too."

"Thanks to Henrietta, I've been in prison for a very long time. She obviously never told you what happened to me."

Callen shook his head. In all honestly, he'd never really thought about him after those two visits. There certainly wouldn't have been any reason for Hetty to share Bart's fate. Callen had known very little about her job activities back then.

"Let's just say we had opposing views on the question of arms dealing and she proved to be a much less loyal friend than I ever expected."

Callen smirked. "So, I'm guessing you've been in prison for the last 32 years?"

"Yes, and all those years being cooped up like that gave me lots of time to plan. I had lots and lots of money stashed away and Henrietta was none the wiser. I also had men I trusted who kept me abreast of her goings on. I could have compromised you and your team years ago, but it wouldn't have carried the same kind of satisfaction that this will have."

"And what exactly is  ** _this_**?" Callen asked.

"A game of sorts," Bart replied with a thin-lipped smile. "I need a challenge and Henrietta needs to pay. By the time this is over with…she'll realize that turning her back on me and putting me behind bars was the biggest mistake she ever made."

The word's chilled Callen to his core. He looked over at his team and from the expressions on their faces, he could see that they also had been affected by the ominous tone of Bart's voice. It was very obvious that this wasn't just an idle threat. This man and his little army needed to be taken very seriously.

"But before I explain further, I think some dinner is in order, after which I will give you all the details you need for our hunt which will start promptly tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. "

"We're going hunting?" Deeks could no longer keep quiet. This guy was a nut job for sure.

Bart turned to face Deeks. "Detective Deeks…I don't recall giving anyone but Agent Callen permission to speak."

Deeks moved so that he was in front of Kensi in an attempt to protect her from further harm. "Sorry," he muttered, not sounding sorry at all.

"Pretty sure we're the ones being hunted in this little scenario, Deeks," Callen said, trying to draw Bart's attention back onto himself.

Bart turned back to Callen, with a smile as he nodded. "Very good. Yes, you and your team are the prey in this hunt, and I anticipate it to be a wonderful challenge. I'm very much looking forward to it. Sometimes, while in prison, I used to take the lives of inmates in various ways, just to see if I could get away with it. I always did…no one ever caught on. It was maddeningly simple. I'm hoping the four of you will prove to be much more stimulating. But for now, this will be your home until tomorrow." He pointed towards a tent. "I'm going to have you uncuffed, but any attempt to escape…well, let's just say it won't be successful and you'll be very, very sorry. You'd be better served to wait for the rules of the game as you will at least have a fighting chance, albeit a small one, to escape unharmed."

Each member of the team was then uncuffed and they were shepherded into the tent with four armed guards standing outside of it, making it very obvious that they were not going to be given an opportunity to escape.

xxxxx

"Do you think we're allowed to talk?" Sam whispered once they were alone inside the tent.

"I guess we'll find out," Callen said.

"This guy's crazy, Callen," Deeks said. "Was Hetty really friends with him?"

Callen shrugged. "I don't know, Deeks," he admitted. "I was a kid. I didn't really pay any mind to the people who came and went. It wasn't like he paid much attention to me."

"You obviously made some kind of impression, G," Sam observed. "He sure didn't forget you."

"I just think he remembered Hetty took in a kid. I doubt it was me personally. I'm just sorry he honed in on the three of you though. He's pretty pissed at Hetty, that's for sure." Callen looked over at Kensi who hadn't said anything. "Kens…are you alright?" he asked. "I'm really sorry you got punched because of me."

Kensi nodded and forced a faint smile. "I'm fine, Callen. Don't worry."

"How about you?" Sam asked his partner. "That guy hit you pretty hard."

"I'm good, Sam," Callen said with a smirk. "You've hit me harder than that before."

"Well, I seriously hope that's not the case, G," Sam said, his eyes filled with guilt and sadness.

"Come on, Sam. It was a joke," Callen said, already regretting his lame attempt to lighten the mood. There was nothing funny about any of this. "I'm alright. We have a lot more serious things to worry about right now."

"Speaking of which, do we have a plan?" Deeks asked, his blue eyes looking very worried.

Callen and Sam exchanged a troubled glance which didn't give Deeks much encouragement. "We need to wait to see what exactly this hunt is," Sam said.

"I think it's pretty self explanatory, isn't it?" asked Deeks. "He's going to send us out into the wilderness and then come after us with his team of goons."

"There's an old short story like this, about a hunt," Callen said. " _The Most Dangerous Game_." I read it in school.

"Yeah, I read it too," Deeks stated. "I just didn't choose to act out parts of the plot after reading it."

"That guy had hounds," Sam said, as he recalled the story. "Scary stuff. Hope this guy doesn't have them."

"The guy in the story didn't have a small army backing him up though," Callen commented.

"You all read this story?" Kensi asked. "I never did."

"If I remember correctly, the guy in that book gave his target a knife. I wonder if he'll let us have weapons," Callen mused.

"He will if he's going to be fair about it," Sam said. "I just don't know if he's going to be all that concerned with giving us a fair shot."

"I doubt it," Deeks said glumly.

"This whole thing is making my stomach sick," Kensi said in dismay. "He…he's going to just hunt us down like animals?"

"Come here, baby," Deeks said. Kensi went to him and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against his chest as he stroked her hair.

"I'm scared, Deeks," Kensi whispered softly, but loud enough for them all to hear her.

"I know you are," Deeks said quietly. "I am too."

xxxxx

About a half hour later, Burke came into the tent. "Dinner," he growled nastily at them. "Get your asses out there now. If it was up to me, you wouldn't get a damned thing to eat, but Bart is a humanitarian."

Callen and the others all exchanged glances, but none of them spoke, unsure if the no talking rule was back in effect now that they were out of the tent.

"Come, come and eat!" Bart bellowed gleefully, gesturing them over to where some picnic tables had been set up. The four team members looked at each other uneasily before they sat down at the table with Bart. Food was immediately brought over to them by a man wearing a chef's uniform. He served grilled chicken, potatoes and vegetables. At first, none of them attempted to touch the food. "It would be wise to eat while you can. Who knows when you'll get the chance for a hot meal again. You should fuel up. You're going to need all your energy."

Callen glanced at Sam and then took a forkful of chicken and put it into his mouth. Sam, Kensi and Deeks then started to eat as well.

"So, Agent Callen," Bart asked. "I'm curious. Do you think you need your team for this hunt?"

Callen looked back at Bart warily. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's a simple question. Do you need them or would you be better served undertaking it alone?"

"What if I said I didn't need them?" Callen asked, ignoring Sam's whispered "G" in a cautionary tone. "You'd set them free?"

Bart chuckled in amusement. "Oh you don't get to know the answer to that, Agent Callen. "Perhaps I would set them free, but then again, perhaps not. It's not an answer you're going to get."

"Well then, yes, I need my team," Callen said as Sam breathed a sigh of relief beside him. For all he knew, Bart would kill Sam, Kensi and Deeks if he said he didn't need them. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to let them go.

"Too bad," Bart said with a shrug as he began to eat his own dinner. "A one on one challenge might have proven interesting, but my men and I are up for the challenge of your team."

"So care to share the details of this so-called hunt?" Callen asked.

"All in good time," Bart stated. "Eat your meal. It's entirely possible this could be your last supper. Carlos is a very good chef. I suggest you enjoy it. We'll talk afterwards."

Callen sighed softly as he went back to his dinner. Given the situation, he wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew that Bart's words were true. They needed to eat in order to have as much energy as possible to deal with whatever this madman had orchestrated for them.


	4. Chapter 4

The team ate quietly. The only sound was the occasional utensil hitting a plate. They shot each other numerous looks, none of them looking particularly happy with the situation that they were in, however, each of them did the best they could to eat, knowing the importance of doing so. They finished before Bart did and just sat silently, waiting him out. Finally, their so-called host wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and put it down on the table. He then looked at each of the team members in turn. "I trust you enjoyed your dinner," he said, a smile touching the corners of his lips.

No one commented or said anything, unsure of what the rules were for conversing with him. "Please, feel free to speak," Bart said. "As this involves all of you, now is the time to do so. I insist on allowing you all to share your opinions."

"Well, my opinion is this whole hunt of yours sucks." Deeks finally made the move to speak first, a challenge in his eyes as he stared back at Bart.

Bart stared back at Deeks, obviously angry. "Watch yourself, Detective…"

"You said to share our opinions," Deeks said. "I just…"

"Deeks," Sam said quietly. "Don't."

"Fine," Deeks relented although obviously reluctant to do so. "How long does this hunt of yours last? Is there some kind of a time limit?"

"Good question, Detective Deeks!" Bart said. "And the answer is…there is no time limit. The hunt ends when you or I end up dead, or if you are able to escape the confines of this area and reach help. Then, of course, you will have achieved your freedom."

"All of us need to be dead?" Kensi asked, trying not to show the increasing horror she was feeling inside about what lay ahead for them. Bart's calm demeanor and obvious enthusiasm for tracking them down and murdering them chilled her to the core.

"Yes, all of you my dear," Bart said, giving Kensi a patronizing smile. "If we only needed to kill one of you, it wouldn't be all that challenging. Bringing down such an accomplished team will be quite a notch on my belt. I will even have a trophy engraved to mark the occasion."

"Are we allowed to have weapons or any way to defend ourselves?" Callen asked.

"Hmm…" Bart said, appearing to mull over the question. "If you were just ordinary civilians with no training, I suppose I'd give you weapons just to give you a fighting chance. However, in this case, I think it would give you too much of an advantage, so the answer is no. You won't be allowed to carry any weapons. There's a whole wide world of natural weapons though. Use your brains. Utilize your training."

"Do we get a head start?" Kensi asked softly, disappointed, but not surprised, to learn they wouldn't be allowed to have weapons.

Bart turned to Kensi with a smile. "Of course you do. What kind of a game would it be if I didn't give you a head start? One hour."

"That's not much time," Sam said, shaking his head in disgust. "You're not giving us much of a chance at all."

"No?" Bart turned to Sam, appearing surprised. "As a Navy Seal, I would think I'm giving you quite an incredible head start, but I'm a fair man and I believe in the art of negotiation. What would you think is a fair head start, Agent Hanna? And I warn you, if you ask for an absurd amount of time, the time I've already given you will be reduced."

Sam sighed and looked to Callen who proved to be no help at all as he shrugged at his partner, leaving the decision up to Sam.

"Three hours," Sam finally said when none of his teammates offered any kind of a suggestion.

"Two hours," Bart stated with a note of finality in his voice. Sam didn't push any more, not wanting to get their allotted amount of time reduced in any way.

"How about this area?" Callen asked, trying to get as much information from Bart as he could get. "Where exactly are we?"

Bart shook his head. "Sorry, Agent Callen. You don't get to know that."

"How far are we from any sort of civilization?" asked Deeks.

"You don't get to know that either," Barks said, smirking at Deeks.

"Is the area booby trapped?" Sam asked, already thinking ahead to what could be waiting for them as they tried to outwit and escape from Bart and his goons. At that, Bart laughed in delight. "I like the way your mind works, Agent Hanna. Go with your gut. There's a good chance you're on the right track." Sam sighed. That pretty much told him there were booby traps in the area. He didn't like this, not one bit.

"Do we get water or food?" Callen asked, unsure of what kind of water sources they would be able to find.

"You will each get one canteen of water. I suggest you use them wisely."

"So you're telling us there's no water around?" Sam asked.

"You're putting words in my mouth, Agent Hanna," Bart said. "I said nothing of the kind. Perhaps there is. Perhaps there isn't."

"What about food?" Callen asked.

"What about it? You just ate and it was quite an impressive meal at that." There was a distinct edge to Bart's voice now and he appeared irritated as he glared at Callen. "You should be grateful for what you got. I'm not providing food for you. If you didn't eat sufficiently, it is your fault, not mine. You'll be allotted a sufficient breakfast in the morning before your starting time."

Bart then turned to Burke. "Take them to their tent. If they cause any trouble, I think bullet holes in their legs will slow them down quite efficiently tomorrow." He then turned back to the team. "I suggest you get some shuteye. I doubt you'll be getting much of a chance to do so once we begin the hunt…unless it's more of a permanent kind of sleep."

xxxxx

"Oh my God…he's certifiable," Kensi said, once they were situated back in their tent. She turned towards Deeks who folded her up in his arms, then rubbed her back with his hand, trying to comfort her.

"We're going to beat him, Kens," Deeks said softly. "You've got to believe that." He then turned and looked over at Callen and Sam. "So…anyone have a plan yet of how we're going to deal with this?"

Callen shook his head and looked at Sam. "You're the one with the military training here, partner," he said. "I'm going to defer to your best judgement on this. What do you think?"

Sam slowly shook his head. "I wish I knew. This guy is crazy like a fox. He knows what he's doing. All I've got right now is we stay together, try to cover our tracks and make some kind of weapons to defend ourselves with."

"Strength in numbers…I guess…" Callen said, not sounding entirely convinced.

"You don't think so?" Sam asked. "Splitting up isn't a good idea, G."

Callen nodded. "I know. I just wonder if we paired off and went in opposite directions…maybe there's a chance two of us would escape."

"I don't think so, G. We're stronger as a team."

Callen sighed. "Yeah, I know. I don't know what I'm thinking, Sam." He couldn't help feeling somewhat guilty about the situation, although he really wasn't sure why.

"You're not thinking this is your fault, are you?" Sam asked, recognizing the telltale look in his partner's eyes. "Come on, G."

"I'm not blaming myself, Sam," Callen said. "I know this isn't my fault…It's not anyone's fault, except Bart's…"

"Do you think Hetty has any idea what's happened?" Kensi asked.

"You can be sure he's going to let her know if he hasn't already," Deeks replied. "He's not doing this just to challenge himself in his sick little hunting game…He's going to want her to know what he's doing."

"Or what he's done…after he's done it," Kensi said, looking uncharacteristically unsettled.

"Come on, guys," Sam said, looking at his two junior team members. "We need to stay positive. We're smart and well-trained. We've got to believe we can defeat this guy at his own game. That's half the battle right there."

"We should try to sleep," Callen said. "Who knows how much of a chance we're going to get to do so after tonight." He looked around the tent and spied some folded up blankets over in the back corner. He picked them up off the ground and handed one to each of his teammates. "It's getting cold." There was also an LED lantern which he turned on at the very lowest setting, casting a dim glow over the inside of the tent.

Deeks and Kensi went over to the right side of the tent and curled up together, then put both of the blankets over them. Callen gingerly lowered himself to a sitting position on the ground with his arm folded over the right side of his abdomen. He tried to be nonchalant about it, but of course Sam noticed. "How bad, G?" Sam asked, a note of concern in his voice as he looked at his partner.

Callen sighed. "I told you already…I'm alright, just sore."

Sam nodded, knowing there wasn't anything he could do anyway, even if Callen was injured. He didn't like the helpless feeling this situation was giving him. "You should try to sleep."

"Right back at you," Callen said as he stretched out on the ground and pulled the blanket over him. "6 a.m. is going to come quickly."

xxxxx

No one slept very soundly that night. Each member of the team dozed sporadically, but none of them got what could be termed restful sleep. Callen had whimpered softly a few times in his sleep, which had done nothing for Sam's ability to settle himself down.

"Can't you sleep?" Deeks whispered over to Sam. He himself had just awoken for what felt like the hundredth time that night and it was only 2 a.m. The ground was hard and uncomfortable and his nerves were on edge. He was extremely worried about all of them, but especially about Kensi. She had gone through so much over the past year. She didn't deserve to go through anymore.

"I've slept some," Sam replied vaguely.

"Guess he's hurting a little bit more than he let on," Deeks commented, his eyes on Callen.

Sam nodded. "Yeah…He'll be okay though." Sam certainly wouldn't mention to his partner that he had exhibited symptoms of pain in his sleep. If he did, he knew Callen wouldn't sleep at all. His stubborn partner would choose to stay awake, not wanting to call attention to the fact that he might be feeling some pain. Sam knew that keeping quiet was the best thing he could do.

"We should try to sleep, Sam," Deeks stated after a few moments of silence.

Sam nodded then closed his eyes, attempting once more to get the rest he knew he needed. "G'nite, Deeks."

"Good night, Sam," Deeks murmured.

xxxxx

At 4:30 am, Callen gave up on trying to sleep and sat up with the blanket still wrapped around him. There was a distinct chill in the air. He wished they had their jackets. He wondered if they'd be able to take the blankets with them. They certainly wouldn't be able to depend on campfires. If they did, they might as well paint giant targets on their backs that said "Here I am, take your shot." He took his hand and gingerly felt along his right side. There was no denying it was painful, but slightly less so than the previous day. He was pretty sure it was just a bad bruise.

"You okay?" Sam's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine, Sam," Callen whispered back. "I don't want to wake up Kensi and Deeks."

"You don't need to worry about waking me," Deeks said. "I'm been awake since 3:30 or so."

"I'm not sleeping either," Kensi said.

"You think Bart's going to give us a big breakfast like last night's dinner?" Deeks asked.

"I think we're more likely looking at cold oatmeal," Sam said.

"I don't even think I can eat," Kensi said.

"If he offers food, you need to eat," Callen said gently.

"He's right, baby," Deeks said softly.

"I know…" Kensi said.

The team then fell back into silence, each member lost in his or her own thoughts. Then, at 5:30, the tent opening was unzippered and Burke stood in the doorway. "If you want breakfast, get your asses out there and eat it," he snarled.

They went outside and sat at the table. There was no hot food like they had eaten the previous night. There was cold cereal, some fruit, bread and pastry. Bart was not at the table. They ate well as they took in the men guarding the area around them. "You think we're really going to get a two hour head start?" Callen whispered, looking over at Sam.

"I have no idea, G," Sam whispered back. "All I know is we've got to move quickly as we can and watch our backs."

Callen nodded and went back to eating his breakfast.

"You doing okay, angel?" Deeks asked softly, gazing at Kensi.

Kensi forced a smile and put a strawberry in her mouth. "I'm going to be fine," she said, trying to assure Deeks as well as herself.

They continued to eat until Bart came out a short time later. His expression was gleeful as he stood by the table looking down at them. "It's so good to see my prey eating and diligently preparing for the hunt."

"Stop saying that," Kensi snapped, glaring up at him.

"Kens…" Deeks cautioned, taking Kensi's hand.

"Stop saying what, my dear?" Bart asked, looking confused.

"We're not your prey. We're human beings and you're just…"

"Kensi!" Callen said loudly as he shook his head at her. "Don't."

She took a few deep breaths and stared down at the table silently.

"Can we take anything with us?" Callen asked, staring up at Bart, his eyes defiant.

"What is it you want, Agent Callen?" Bart asked. His expression was now cold, his eyes dark and threatening.

"Blankets?" Callen asked.

Bart considered the request. "Fine. You can take blankets and water, but that's it. Go and get them now before I change my mind."

Callen headed to the tent, while his three teammates remained behind.

"I suppose a compass is out of the question," Sam said.

"Don't try my patience, Agent Hanna. I don't think you or your partner will be happy with the results."

"You leave him alone," Sam said, slowly shaking his head, as he narrowed his eyes at Bart. "If you hurt him…"

"Seems I've struck a nerve," Bart observed. "You'd better focus on your plan of escape, Agent Hanna. If you don't keep your eyes on the prize, none of you will last the day."

Callen came back out of the tent, carrying the folded blankets in his arms. It was almost 6 and his heart was beating quickly and erratically. He walked back over to the table and couldn't help but notice the tension in the air. "Everything alright?" he asked quietly.

"We're good, G," Sam stated as he stood up. Kensi and Deeks then followed his example. Burke walked over to the table, carrying canteens which he silently handed to each of the team members.

Bart was staring at his watch, with an almost maniacal expression on his face. Then he began to speak. "Five…four…three…two…one…Let the hunt begin!" he shouted.

Without a moment's hesitation, Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks fled into the woods as fast as they could go.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam stopped short when he saw the trip wire. Deeks, who was right on his heels, almost crashed right into him. "What the hell, man!" he exclaimed.

"Shhh," Sam turned back to Deeks, his finger over his lips. "Trip wire." He took the opportunity to glance at Kensi who seemed fine and Callen who had been clutching his side, but quickly dropped his arm. "Okay, we need to be really careful here, guys. The ground is hard right now so that's to our advantage. Try not to brush up against any leaves. The slightest thing could help them track us, not to mention booby traps like this trip wire. A bunch of sprung traps will be the easiest way to track us."

"Not to mention, dead bodies if the traps are lethal," Callen interjected.

"Yeah, that too," Sam admitted with a reluctant nod.

"Where are we even headed, Sam?" Kensi asked. "What's our plan exactly?"

"Right now, I'm just using the sun to try to keep us going in a straight northerly direction," Sam said. "If we go straight and aren't going around in circles, they won't be catching us any time soon, as long as to they keep to the rules and we get a true head start."

"What if they don't keep to the rules?" Deeks asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Sam said. "But for now, let's keep going. Keep your eyes and ears open. Let's put as much distance as we can between us and them and later we'll stop and try to put together some kind of weapons." With that, Sam started off again, followed by Deeks, then Kensi, with Callen bringing up the rear.

xxxxx

Hetty was beside herself. She was finding it very hard to think of anything else besides the whereabouts of her missing team. So far, there had been no word from anyone. No ransom demands, no notes, no threats…nothing at all. Hetty hated feeling so helpless. Not even her particularly calming blends of tea were helping to deal with these circumstances. Eric and Nell had been working tirelessly to try to find some clue to where the team might be, but so far had not been able to unearth even the tiniest breadcrumb to go by.

"Hetty?" Hetty looked up and was surprised to see Eric and Nell, standing in front of her desk, both looking exceedingly somber. She hadn't even noticed their approach.

"Do you have something, Eric?" Hetty asked, anxiously.

Eric nodded. "We received an email. Inside, it says it's to go to you. There's a video file attached. We haven't looked at it."

"Well, bring it up for me."

Eric came behind Hetty's desk and clicked the keys of her laptop, bringing up the video. From a distance, they could see the team sitting at a table, eating. Whoever was filming them, then zoomed in for a close-up of Kensi's face, showing the very obvious bruising. No one else seemed to be injured in any way, from what Hetty could see, which was a relief. The scene ended abruptly and then the inside of a tent was shown. Moments later, a man stepped into the center of the video and Hetty gasped softly, immediately recognizing Bartholomew. "Oh no…"

"Hetty? Are you alright?" Nell asked softly.

"Yes, yes, dear, I'm fine," Hetty said, managing to give Nell a partially reassuring smile. Nell and Eric exchanged a look, neither of them fooled by Hetty's words.

"So, Henrietta, it's been a long time…a very long time. As you can see, I have your team. At first, I had considered only abducting Agent Callen, knowing how much he meant to you when you took him in as a boy, but then I was able to learn, through various anonymous sources, how much the others mean to you as well. What better way to get revenge, I thought to myself, then to take away the people who mean the most to you? When you arrested me and turned me in 32 years ago, I vowed vengeance on you and this is the beginning of my plan. When I'm through with your team, you're going to be very, very sorry that you showed such disloyalty and turned your back on me. Don't even try to trace this. I flew one of my men away from this site and he was able to send a message from an Internet café. There will be no way of finding out where I am, no way at all for you to find your beloved team. And now until I contact you again, pleasant dreams, or unpleasant nightmares, which I suspect will be much more likely…"

"Is what he says true, Eric?" Hetty asked. "That there is no way of tracing this?"

"I can trace where it came from," Eric said, "but if it is an Internet café, whoever sent it is going to be long gone."

Hetty sighed, already knowing that Bartholomew was much too clever to be easily traced. "I'm sure there is nothing to be gained from the video itself either, but please check it out, just in case there's any clue," Hetty said.

"You've got it, Hetty," Eric said. "We'll check it out with a fine tooth comb and let you know what we find out."

Hetty watched as Eric and Nell made their way out of her office and back up to Ops. She then hit play to watch the video once again, paying close attention to the faces of her team and feeling very, very sorry that she had inadvertently gotten them into this mess.

xxxxx

"So, how do you think Bart has his men searching for us…teams or groups?" Callen asked Sam. Sam had dropped back to keep pace with his partner, allowing Deeks and Kensi to take the lead. Deeks had spotted one trip wire and Kensi had spotted two, so Sam totally trusted them to keep the team safe as they moved on.

"They're probably separated into small groups," Sam replied. "I don't think Bart wants to take the chance of our number being bigger than theirs."

"Hey, it looks like the woods are coming to an end," Deeks said as he and Kensi stopped and waited for Callen and Sam to catch up. Up ahead, the tree cover ended and there was higher more rocky terrain which would require some climbing.

"What do you think, Sam?" Callen asked as they looked ahead. "We're going to be pretty exposed if we decide to go that way."

Sam nodded. "True, but if we get past it without being spotted, we may enhance our chances of escaping."

Callen shook his head. "I think we're better off sticking to the woods. We should just change direction."

"What if he expects that though?" Kensi asked. "He might expect us to avoid any climbing and be waiting for us somewhere."

"I still think we're way too vulnerable if we do that," Callen said. "A marksman would be able to pick us off, no problem."

"What about over there towards the east," Deeks said pointing. "It's still rocky but not much climbing. It also has some bigger rocks to hide behind."

"I still think we're too exposed," Callen insisted. "What if Bart decides to send a chopper to search for us? He has countless methods to search for us at his fingertips. We have no idea what he's going to use. I think we're kidding ourselves if we think he's only going to try to track us by conventional tracking methods."

Sam sighed as he considered what Callen was saying. He hadn't even considered the possibility of being tracked by the helicopter. There was a very real chance of that happening. "Maybe we should just head east like Deeks said? At least for a little while and see what we find? But we'll stay under the cover of trees in case Bart does try to pull a fast one with the helicopter. What do you all think?"

Kensi nodded. "I think that sounds good."

"Yeah, I'm good with that too," Deeks chimed in.

"G?" Sam looked at his partner who nodded.

"Sure, Sam. I think it's our best bet for the moment."

"Okay, then, come on…let's get moving."

They headed off again and after walking for about an hour or so, the tree cover began to increase once again and they were able to continue on their original northerly direction. "When are we going to figure out something to use for weapons?" Deeks asked as they walked.

"We probably should have done that when we were by the rocks," Sam said. "We could have tried to fashion some kind of rock knives if we found the right size and shape rocks. I think we need to just keep moving right now. Everyone holding up okay?"

The team nodded and Sam was glad to see his partner didn't seem to be suffering too badly…one less thing to worry about. They continued to move on until Sam stopped and put his hand up in the air, signaling the rest of them to stop as well. "Listen," he ordered softly. "Do you hear that?"

"Water?" Callen questioned.

"Yeah…rushing water," Sam confirmed. "Come on." They headed in the direction of the sound and stopped short when they reached a clearing which opened up to a fast moving river.

"No way we're crossing that," Deeks stated, looking at the rough rapids warily.

"No…" Sam stared at the water, weighing their options. He suddenly had the feeling they were being watched and he turned around, looking off into the distance, back the way they had come.

"Sam?" Kensi asked as she looked at him nervously and then looked back in the same direction he was looking. "Did you see something?"

Sam shook his head slowly. "No…no, I didn't...I just had a feeling…" He tried to shake off his sudden attack of nerves. "I guess it was nothing…"

"Are you sure?" Callen asked. Sam's anxious expression was causing Callen's nerves to flare up as well. He really wished he had his gun.

"Come on, let's just follow beside the water for a while, and see what we can see," Sam said.

"I wonder where we are exactly," Deeks mused as they walked.

"And I wonder how well Bart and his men know the area," Kensi said.

"Bart can't have too much first-hand knowledge of it," Callen stated. "Not if he just got out of prison recently."

"No, but his men can," Sam said. "He could have been planning this for quite some time. They could know this area like the back of their hand."

"True." Callen nodded in agreement.

"Not good for us," Deeks said.

"None of this is good for us," Kensi said.

"You don't think they're tracking us, do you?" Deeks asked.

"Of course they're tracking us, Deeks," Callen said, an annoyed expression on his face. "What do you think this is all about?"

Deeks shook his head, trying to hold back his own annoyance. He didn't appreciate being talked to like he was stupid. "I know that, Callen. I'm talking about with a tracker…"

"Oh." Callen and Sam stopped short and looked at each other. Deeks was right. Yet another thing they hadn't thought of. The four team members then began a careful search of their own and each other's clothing as they searched for any kind of GPS trackers. They then did the same thing with the canteens and blankets. They found nothing though and feeling a bit more relieved, they continued on their way.

"What are we going to do about tonight?" Callen asked as they moved along.

"Well, we can't very well travel in the dark," Sam said. "I mean we could, by the moonlight, but we're going to need to rest." He was beginning to feel fatigue setting in and knew his friends had to be feeling the same way.

"I really wonder how far out in the wilderness we are," Callen said. "We could be within just a few miles of a highway or 50 miles. There's no way of knowing, I guess."

"Do you think there are wild animals?" Kensi asked.

No one answered her, but it was obvious from the men's expressions that they thought it was a very likely possibility.

"We really should try to find some rocks before dark," Sam stated. He started to pay more attention to the bank of the river, knowing there could likely be some suitable rocks there. If there were wild animals lurking about, he didn't want them to be totally defenseless against them.

By the time the sun began to set, they each carried a crudely fashioned sharpened rock. They were tired and hungry and as darkness began to shroud the woods, Sam finally signaled for them to stop. "I guess this is as good a place as any to spend the night," he said.

"I wish we could have a fire," Kensi said. The temperature was noticeably dropping. She moved in close to Deeks who wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him.

"I'll keep you warm, baby," he whispered.

"We'll keep each other warm," she replied softly.

Callen couldn't help but feel a little envious of the couple. He had to admit it would be nice to have someone to cuddle up with.

"We'll take turns keeping watch," Sam said. "I'll take first watch unless one of you feels strongly against that." No one spoke so he nodded and they all settled down on the hard, cold ground with their blankets. The woods, which had seemed quiet during the day, suddenly seemed to come alive with the sounds of crickets, cicadas, and the occasional hoot of an owl, as well as other unfamiliar sounds. It was all highly unnerving and in spite of their fatigue, the team collectively had a hard time settling down to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

As Sam sat, keeping his silent and so far uneventful vigil, he wondered if Bart and his henchmen would be trying to hunt them down during the night or if they would wait for daylight. The only good thing was that they would be carrying flashlights and he and the team would definitely be able to spot them coming from a distance and well before they began closing in on them.

"Sam?" Deeks whispered. "I'll take over now."

"Thanks Deeks," Sam replied. He was dead tired now and pretty sure he'd finally be able to get some sleep. He thought that Callen had dropped off, but he wasn't quite sure, knowing that his partner's sleeping habits weren't the best, especially when they were tense and on edge the way they were now.

"No problem." Deeks moved a little bit away from where his teammates were resting and forced his eyes open a little wider. He was pretty tired, but had found sleep to be elusive during Sam's watch. He found a suitable tree and settled back against it to take over the watch duty. Callen appeared to be asleep so Deeks had figured he might as well take over now. They hadn't really discussed a formal schedule. After about a half hour or so, Kensi crept over to where he was sitting.

"Have you noticed anything suspicious?" she asked softly, snuggling up against him.

"Nothing so far," Deeks whispered.

"I can take over if you'd like to get some sleep."

"I've only been doing it for a half hour, Kens," Deeks replied. "You're the one who should get some sleep."

"I'm really not that tired," Kensi said.

"Well, you're the only one whose not," Deeks stated, not believing her for a second. "I'm wiped out and I'm pretty sure Callen and Sam are as well."

"I guess I must be stronger than you guys," Kensi said, smiling.

"You're hilarious, Kens," Deeks replied, "but seriously sweetheart, why don't you try to sleep?"

"You'll wake me to take over for you at 2?" Kensi asked.

Deeks nodded. "I will."

"Is that a promise, Deeks?" Kensi asked. "Because I won't be happy if you don't…"

Deeks sighed and then nodded. "I promise, Kensi. At 2 a.m., I will wake you up."

"Okay…" She pressed a warm kiss over Deeks' lips and then went back over to Sam and Callen, not wanting to distract Deeks from his guard duty.

At 2 a.m. exactly, Deeks did what he had promised and quietly made his way to Kensi's side. He had thought briefly about not waking her, but he knew that Kensi hadn't been paying him lip service when she demanded he wake her. They already had more than enough problems without adding a petty quarrel to the list. "Hey baby," he whispered as he kissed her lips to wake her.

Kensi opened her eyes and immediately sat up. "Thank you for waking me," she said very softly.

"I knew the consequences wouldn't be good if I didn't," Deeks said.

"Get some sleep, Deeks." Taking her blanket with her, Kensi moved over to the same spot where Deeks had been sitting and wrapped the blanket tightly around her. She was becoming accustomed to the night sounds and was relatively calm, considering the situation. She still wished they were able to have a campfire, but at least the moon was close to full and cast a relatively bright light over their campsite. She settled back against the tree and alertly kept an eye out for any unwelcome visitors, either human or the possibility of threatening wildlife.

At 3:30 a.m., Callen quietly approached Kensi. "Hey, Kens…I'll take over now," he said.

"You still have another half hour before your shift," Kensi protested. "Try to sleep a little bit more, Callen."

Callen shook his head. "Trust me…I'm not going to be sleeping anymore tonight. Go and get some shuteye."

"Is this because I'm a woman, Callen?" Kensi asked, looking at him suspiciously. "Because I'm just as good as any of you at keeping watch."

"You know better, Kensi," Callen said quietly. "It has nothing to do with the fact that you're a woman. If it was Sam or Deeks keeping watch, I'd be doing the same thing. Please…just go and get some sleep."

Kensi gave Callen a long look before finally nodding. "Alright…fine." She went and curled up against Deeks as Callen settled down in her vacated spot. He had slept a little bit, on and off, but the distance traveled the previous day had taken its toll on him. He wished he had some ibuprofen or Tylenol…anything to dull the pain in his side. Lying on the hard ground only aggravated it more and he longed to just be able to lie down in a comfortable bed. He knew that wouldn't be happening any time soon though…if ever…

xxxxx

Sam, Kensi and Deeks were all awake even before the sun rose. "Good morning, G…how are you doing?" Sam asked, observing his partner closely. Callen's face was pale and drawn-appearing. He was obviously in pain. It did nothing to make Sam feel better about their situation.

"I'm good, Sam. How are you?"

I'm fine, G."

"Well, I'm not fine," Deeks said, breaking into the conversation. "I am starved. I sure wish we had something to eat for breakfast."

"I'm pretty hungry myself," Sam said in agreement. "Maybe we'll come across some berries or something today. If you find any, don't eat them until I've checked them out. They could be poisonous so unless we're positive they're safe, we can't eat them." The last thing they needed was for any of them to become ill or even worse. "In any case, at least we're by the river and we can fill our canteens. Keeping hydrated is the most important thing, especially as we haven't seen any source of food."

"Berries, those won't be very filling anyway," Deeks muttered under his breath. "We haven't even seen any rabbits or anything like that."

Kensi raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "We can't build a fire, Deeks. Are you going to eat raw rabbit?"

Callen, who was listening to them, made a face, feeling slightly queasy at the thought of it.

"No," Deeks said, grinning at Kensi. "I guess raw rabbit would be pretty disgusting. Imagine if you got a mouthful of fur?"

"Do you two mind talking about something else?" Callen asked, glaring at Deeks.

"No problem, Callen," Deeks said.

"Hey, G? You sure you're feeling alright?" Sam asked, noting that his partner's mood was not the best.

"Yeah, Sam. As I've told you before, I'm just sore…nothing I can't handle."

"Then you should be able to handle me checking you out…I'm not going to hurt you."

Callen rolled his eyes. "You've discovered my secret…I don't want you looking at me because I'm scared you're going to hurt me." He picked up his canteen from the ground and headed towards the river to fill it.

"I think you made him mad," Kensi said to Sam.

Sam sighed as he picked up his own canteen and headed after his partner.

"Should we follow them?" Deeks asked, glancing at Kensi.

Kensi quickly shook her head. "No, let's just leave them alone." Wanting to change the subject, she put her attention entirely on Deeks. "Did you sleep well?"

Deeks shrugged. "I slept. Well would be a bit of an overstatement. How about you?"

"The same. It's kind of hard to sleep when you know a pack of crazed murders is on your trail."

"Yeah…there is that," Deeks replied, looking discouraged as he put his arm around Kensi and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I really wish we had guns and food and comfortable beds…"

"So, basically you wish we weren't in this situation," she said softly.

"Yeah…yeah, that's pretty much sums it up…"

xxxxx

Sam approached Callen who was squatted by the riverbank, his head tilted back as he drank from his canteen.

"What's going on, G?" Sam asked quietly.

Callen lowered the canteen and got to his feet, a questioning look in his eyes. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I'm drinking water, staying hydrated. Isn't this what you told us to do just a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah, it is…Listen G, I know you don't want to be coddled, but…"

Callen shook his head, obviously irritated. "Come off it, Sam. I have one or two bruised ribs, or maybe they're cracked, I really don't know. In either case, they're going to hurt, especially after trekking around in the wilderness all day long and then sleeping or trying to sleep on the cold, hard ground. What exactly are you going to do about it?"

Sam sighed and shook his head in discouragement. "I don't know…I can't explain it. You're right. I know I can't do anything about it."

"So, just give me a break, okay?" Callen said. "There's no point in looking at my bruises, Sam. I really don't think you're going to accomplish anything."

"I can't help it if I worry about you, G…that's never going to change."

"Well, there's no need to. I'm alright, Sam. I promise you I am," Callen knelt by the water, filled his canteen to the top and tightly closed the cover. "I think we just need to worry about this whole situation and how the hell we're going to get out of it." Callen then walked away, leaving Sam standing alone by the river, and he headed back to Kensi and Deeks. "We need to get going soon," he stated, then watched as his two younger team members picked their canteens up from the ground and headed towards Sam and the river. Callen picked his blanket up from the ground and shook it out then proceeded to roll it up. He then sat on the ground and waited for his teammates to return.

xxxxx

Kensi and Deeks approached Sam who was staring out at the rushing water, appearing to be deep in thought. They went over to the edge and proceeded to fill their canteens with the fresh water and then drink. After Deeks drank a satisfying amount, he stood up and faced Sam who hadn't even acknowledged their presence. "Hey, man…are you okay?"

Sam came out of his thoughts and nodded at Deeks. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What is it you think is wrong with Callen anyhow?" Deeks asked. "If it was anything serious, there's no way he'd be able to keep up with this romp through the wilderness, Sam."

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're right, Deeks," Sam said with a sigh. "I know I'm just irritating him and I need to lay off."

"But you're worried," Kensi said as she flung the strap to her now full canteen over her shoulder.

Sam shrugged. "Sometimes it's hard not to worry, no matter how hard you try. I'm worried about all of us, not just him. I'm afraid Bart's band of goons could be surrounding us somehow, and we'll never even see it coming…"

"Well, that's a cheery thought," Deeks said.

"Sorry," Sam said. "I'd like to think we'd see some sign of that happening. I'm hopeful they're not too close or we would have seen some kind of light during the night. Anyhow…we'd better get moving. Did you two drink enough?"

Deeks and Kensi both nodded.

"Then come on, let's grab G and get going…

xxxxx

That morning's hike was rougher than the day before. For one thing, the temperature had markedly increased. Although the cover of the trees blocked them from direct sunlight, the heat and humidity were making things difficult. Their pace was definitely much slower.

"This is a definite beach day," Deeks paused to brush his perspiration-soaked hair back from his forehead. "I would give anything to be out on the water surfing right now."

"Yeah, well unless you feel like fighting the rapids, that's not going to be happening any time soon," Sam stated. He glanced over at his partner, who was breathing heavily, his arm pressed against the right side of his abdomen. "Why don't we take a five minute break?"

Callen didn't protest. He just immediately sat on the ground. Kensi and Deeks did the same then Sam followed suit. Sam tried not to question Callen, but he couldn't stop himself. "You holding up okay?"

"I was thinking of that scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," Callen said musingly. "When they're on that scary boat ride?  _There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going_ …"

"I remember that," Deeks said _. "_ It was really creepy. _Are the fires of Hell a-glowing? Is the grisly reaper mowing? Yes, the danger must be growing…"_

"That was a great movie," Callen said. "It used to give me hope that things could someday be okay. Not that I'd get a golden ticket…I knew that wasn't true, but…"

"I read that no one told the actors that the boat ride was going to be creepy the way it was. They did it to get natural reactions out of them," Deeks said. "They did the same thing when the kids entered the chocolate room so they could film their honest first impressions. Also at the end when Wonka was yelling at Charlie about drinking the fizzy lifting drinks…they really upset the kid…kind of mean."

"I thought the chocolate room was awesome," Kensi said with a smile, remembering. "I wanted to go there so badly."

"Kamran loves that movie," Sam said. "We watch it at least two or three times a year. She used to want me to get her an everlasting gobstopper when she was little. I had a hard time making her understand they weren't real."

"What kid who saw that movie didn't want an everlasting gobstopper?" Deeks asked. "And actually…I wish I had one of those right now. It would make things just a little bit more bearable out here."

"Well…I don't think we have those in our future," Sam said, slowly getting to his feet. "I hate to say it, but we'd better get a move on."

xxxxx

As the day wore on, the terrain became rougher, with harder, rockier terrain, causing their progress to slow even more. Sam was trying to balance the pace between making decent progress and not causing Callen too much pain. It was pretty obvious his partner was struggling, but they had to keep going. There just wasn't any choice.

They kept on walking, with very little discussion. They were just focused on moving along and watching for any possible booby traps that might exist, although there hadn't been anything like that for a while. Sam knew they needed to remain diligent, however, knowing that a lapse in attention could have very dire consequences.

xxxxx

As with many things in life, it happened suddenly, with no warning whatsoever. The sound of a single gunshot and the shock in the eyes of Callen, Sam and Kensi as Deeks silently fell to the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

"Get down," Callen yelled unnecessarily as both Kensi and Sam were already in the midst of doing just that.

They waited in tense anticipation for more gunshots, but there were none. "Anyone see anything?" Sam asked.

"No, but it's obvious someone knows we're here," Callen replied, his eyes gazing off into the distance of where he estimated the shot could have come from.

Sam turned towards Deeks who was grimacing as Kensi had her hands placed on his right shoulder, applying pressure to where the bullet had entered, as she tried to stop the bleeding.

"I'm alright," Deeks stated, trying to reassure his friends. However, he looked anything but alright. Finally, after about 10 minutes, the bleeding began to slow.

"I wish we had some bandages or something," Sam stated as he carefully examined Deeks' shoulder and noted that the bullet hadn't gone through so it was somewhere inside Deeks' body. Sam took his canteen and began to pour water over the wound to clean it out as well as he could.

"Take my shirt, I've got a t-shirt underneath," Callen said as he undid the buttons and took it off, then passed it off to his partner. Sam tore the shirt and set to work tightly bandaging Deeks' shoulder. It certainly wasn't a sterile bandage, but it was better than nothing. He then stuffed the rest of Callen's shirt into his pocket for later use.

"What should we do?" Kensi asked. "We can't just stay here. They could be on their way to us."

"No…you're right about that," Sam said. He studied the area around them and saw some large rocks, a short distance away, which would provide some cover. "Let's try to make it over there," he suggested. "I'll help you, Deeks." Keeping low to the ground, they made their way over to the rocks where Sam made Deeks as comfortable as he could, then covered him with a blanket.

"We can't just stay here waiting, Sam. This cover does us no good without guns. We're sitting ducks." Callen said. "I think we need to be proactive."

"What are you thinking, G?"

"I think we should backtrack a little bit and see if we can spot anyone. Maybe we can take some of them out."

Sam thought about what Callen was saying for a few moments and finally nodded. Sitting here and waiting to be picked off wasn't going to do them any good at all. Now Deeks needed medical attention, which made their situation even more ominous. "Are you two going to be okay here?" Sam asked, turning his attention to Kensi and Deeks. He didn't like leaving them alone, but they were running out of viable options. Evidently their head start, if they had really ever had it to begin with, had run out.

Kensi nodded. "We'll be fine, Sam. Please be careful."

With that, Callen and Sam headed back in the direction they had come from.

xxxxx

"Here, Deeks, drink some water," Kensi said softly as she took the cover off his canteen and raised It to his lips.

Deeks took a couple of sips and then turned his head away. "That's enough." He shifted and held back a moan of pain as he unsuccessfully tried to get more comfortable. It wasn't an easy task on the hard, rocky surface he was lying on though. "I don't like that they're going after them alone," he said. "I can't believe I was so stupid to get shot."

"Deeks, stop that," Kensi admonished him gently. "You weren't stupid. How were you supposed to avoid that? You didn't see them. None of us did. It could have been any one of us who got hit. You were just the unlucky one."

Deeks shifted again and winced as a bolt of pain shot through his shoulder. "Dammit."

Kensi looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments and then moved over so she was sitting right behind him. "Come here," she said softly as she gently tried to position him so his head was in her lap. She then gently wrapped her arms around him. "Is that better?"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then nodded. "Yes, it's better, Kens…thanks."

"You let me know if there's anything I can do for you, okay?" Kensi looked down at the ground by her side and made sure the stone knife was within easy reach. It was very primitive, but she was ready and willing to use it if anyone came close to them. She would do everything in her power to protect herself and Deeks.

xxxxx

"So…how bad is Deeks' wound?" Callen asked after he and Sam had walked a short distance away from where they had left Kensi and Deeks.

"It's not great," Sam replied with a worried expression as he briefly met his partner's eyes. "Of course, any kind of a wound out here isn't exactly a good thing. Not without any kind of medical supplies. At least we have fresh water, but that's the only thing we have in our favor. We really need to figure a way to get out of this mess."

"I really wish…" Callen abruptly stopped talking and cocked his head slightly to the side as he listened intently. He then motioned with his hand over to the left and Sam silently crept over in that direction, while Callen went the opposite way. It didn't take long for Callen to spot two men. They were standing in a small clearing, laughing.

"That guy didn't know what hit him," one of the men said. "This is so easy. We can just play with them until Bart decides to swoop in and make them all pay."

"Yep, they'll be taken care of once and for all. Bart thought they might be a challenge, but I haven't seen any evidence of that. They're just running like scared rabbits. This is definitely easy money," the other guy said.

Callen watched as Sam counted off with his fingers, one, two, three… He then sprang at the man closest to him at the same moment that Sam went for the other guy.

Callen tackled his man, knocking him to the ground. Both sets of hands then struggled to gain sole custody of the rifle. Suddenly, Callen heard a gunshot, and at that moment, the guy he was wrestling with, aimed a hard kick into his injured side, which caused him to lose his grip on the rifle. The man then stood up with a sinister grin and pointed the gun at Callen, but another gunshot rang out and he fell to the ground. "Thanks, Sam," Callen said as he gingerly got up from the ground, brushed himself off, and then made sure the guy was dead. Thanks to the kick, the pain in his side had flared up again, but he forced himself not to react to it. There were much more important things to worry about. "Is he dead too?" he asked, looking at the first man who Sam had shot.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he's dead. Are you okay, G?"

"I'm fine," Callen said with a nod.

Sam looked back at his partner skeptically. He didn't really believe him, but there was nothing he could really do about it anyhow. For now, he would just have to take Callen at his word.

xxxxx

Deeks had been lightly dozing, but when the sound of the first gunshot rang out, he awoke with a start, confused and disoriented. "Kensi?"

"Shhh… I'm right here, Deeks," Kensi murmured. "You're okay." They both jumped slightly when the sound of a second shot was heard.

"What was that?" he asked, looking around. "Where are Callen and Sam?"

"They backtracked to see if they could take some of them down," Kensi said gently as she softly brushed Deeks' hair back from his forehead. "Remember?"

"Yeah…yeah, I remember," he said as he tried to sit up. "But, it's a bad idea. We need to help them."

"No, you need to stay put," Kensi said as she gently but firmly kept her hands on his chest to keep him from sitting up.

"We need to help them. They might be hurt, or worse," Deeks said insistently. "Did you not hear those gunshots? We can't just leave them."

"Yes, I heard the gunshots, Deeks," Kensi said, "but for right now, staying put is exactly what we need to do." She wanted to go after Sam and Callen in the worst way, but she couldn't leave Deeks alone. "They haven't been gone long. We need to wait…hopefully, they'll be back soon."

xxxxx

"Let's check them out, see if they have anything we can use, ammo or whatever else they might have." Callen said. He first searched through the dead man's pockets but found nothing. He then picked up a small canvas bag from the ground and opened it. "Jackpot," he said as he shuffled through it. "I've got ammo, some first aid stuff and a couple of protein bars in here."

Sam found another bag on the ground, next to the first guy he had killed, with similar contents. He picked up the rifle and bag. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Are we just going to leave these guys here?" Callen asked, a concerned expression on his face. "Aren't they pretty much a road map for whoever comes along after them?"

Sam shook his head. "What do you suggest we do, G? We can't bury them. We don't have the time and even if we did, we don't have anything to dig with. Anyhow, I'm sure some of Bart's men heard the gunshots."

"I was thinking we could toss them in the river," Callen stated. "Depending on where his men are situated, they might not be able to figure out where the shots came from." He hesitated for a moment, looking puzzled.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"I didn't find any kind of a radio or walkie talkie, did you?"

"No…" Sam did another thorough search of the first body but found nothing except for a compass which he had missed on the first search. He put it into the canvas bag with the other items. "That's really weird."

Callen nodded. "Wouldn't you think these guys would have some way of keeping in touch with each other?"

"I would definitely think that. I don't see anything though. In any case, I want to get back to Kensi and Deeks. Let's dump these guys and head on back. Sam went to lift one of the men from the ground and Callen saw the walkie talkie which had been underneath him. He grabbed it and put it into the canvas bag then went over to pick up the other guy from the ground.

"G, don't," Sam said. "I'll carry them."

"I can carry one of them, Sam," Callen said.

Sam shook his head, deciding to try a different tact. "Just take this guy's feet. Come on, it'll be faster if we just work together."

Callen knew that Sam could easily carry the body on his own and was just trying to protect him, but he did as his partner asked, not wanting to further increase the pain from his injury. After the bodies had been disposed of, they headed back to where they had left Kensi and Deeks.

xxxxx

Kensi was becomingly increasingly worried as the time went by and there was no sign of Callen or Sam. She looked down at Deeks and gently touched his forehead. She was trying very hard not to let him know how scared she was for him. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally saw Callen and Sam approaching. "What happened?" she asked as they ducked down behind the rocks. "I thought you might have been shot." She eyed the bags and rifles they were carrying. "How many did you get?"

"Two," said Sam, his eyes on Deeks. "How is he?"

"He's in a lot of pain and he's been a little bit out of it. I'm really worried about him, Sam."

"I know you are," Sam said. "'We did get some first aid stuff. Now I can properly take care of his wound, at least for the time being.

"I'm just concerned about the bullet being in there. I wish it had just gone straight through."

"I'll take care of him, Kens," Sam said, trying to reassure her.

"He needs a doctor and a hospital," Kensi said.

"Kensi…" Deeks struggled to open his eyes and looked up at her. "I'll be okay, baby. It…it doesn't even feel that bad. Don't worry."

"I'm always going to worry about you," Kensi said as she leaned down and gave him a light kiss. "Try to rest."

Callen watched the couple worriedly. The fact that they now had weapons made him feel a little better, but Deeks being hurt was a huge cause for concern. They definitely needed to come up with a plan, sooner rather than later.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Deeks," Sam said as he knelt on the ground next to Deeks. "How are you doing? I'm going to try to do a little better job of taking care of your wound now that we've got some proper medical supplies." He gently began to unwrap the makeshift bandage from Deeks' shoulder, stopping when he got to the part directly covering the wound.

"What's the matter?" Kensi, who had been observantly watching Sam's every move, asked.

"The cloth is stuck to the wound," Sam explained. "If I try to tear it off, it's likely going to start bleeding again…and it's going to hurt."

"So don't do it then," Kensi said, not particularly wanting Deeks to go through any more pain than necessary.

"I don't care if it hurts, Sam," Deeks said. "Do whatever you think is best…I trust you."

Sam sighed as he weighed his options. He didn't really want to start up the bleeding again, but then again, G's shirt was far from sterile, although there was a very good chance the wound had already been contaminated. "Okay…get ready…" Deeks nodded and braced himself in anticipation of what Sam was about to do. As gently as he could, Sam began to pull the shirt away from the wound. Almost immediately, it started to bleed. Finally, Sam got the shirt free. Then he took a sterile gauze pad which he placed over the wound and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped once again. He then poured saline solution over the wound and bandaged it up. "You okay?" he asked Deeks when he had finished.

Deeks nodded. It actually hadn't been as bad as he had expected it would be. "Yeah…I'm good, Sam. Thanks."

"No problem," Sam stated. "I just wish we'd had these supplies when you first got shot."

"Then Callen could have saved his shirt," Deeks said with a chuckle.

"I don't care about my shirt, Deeks," Callen said. He knew that Deeks was only kidding around, but he felt compelled to say it anyway. He was exhausted and he found his mood had been going downhill ever since Deeks had been shot.

"I know you don't," Deeks said, seeing that Callen wasn't in the mood for jokes. He wasn't particularly either, but he was trying to do whatever he could to distract himself from the pain he was in. He found even the slightest bit of levity to be helpful.

Callen sighed and opened up the bag he was carrying and pulled out the protein bars. "You think we should eat these now or save them?" he asked, glancing over at Sam.

"I've got two also," Sam said. "We could probably use the energy." He opened up his bag and passed a bar to Deeks while Callen handed one off to Kensi.

Kensi immediately opened her bar and took a bite. "Mmm…" she said, savoring it. It really wasn't her ideal food of choice, but under the circumstances, it was sheer bliss. She glanced at Deeks who didn't seem particularly interested in his. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked, worriedly.

Although he'd been starving earlier in the day, Deeks actually wasn't all that hungry now, but he didn't want to worry Kensi so he forced a grin and tore off a piece of the wrapper. "I'm definitely hungry, Fern," he said. "Just don't want to eat it too quickly. After all, who knows when we're going to get something else to eat."

Callen took a bite of his own protein bar and pulled the walkie talkie out of the bag. He studied it for a few moments and then turned it on, receiving only the sound of light static. He put it on the ground and continued to eat. "So…what's our next move?" he asked, looking over at his partner. "Do you think we should get moving again? We've still got a couple of hours left of daylight."

"I don't know," Sam said, casting a dubious look in Deeks' direction. "Maybe we should stay here…At least we've got the guns now if we need to defend ourselves."

Deeks quickly caught on that he was the reason for Sam's reluctance to forge ahead. "Hey, don't be holding back on my account," he said quickly. "I can walk."

"Deeks…" Kensi looked at him, concern evident in her eyes. "You need to be careful. You can't overdo it."

"We can't just stay here either, waiting for Bart and his minions to show up and take us out," Deeks debated, turning his attention to Sam. "You know I'm right."

Callen picked up one of the rifles and checked to make sure it was loaded before placing it back on the ground.

Sam looked back at Callen, knowing his partner wanted to move on, but he wasn't sure it was a good idea. Then again, Deeks was willing and seemed able to go ahead right now so maybe it was the smart thing to do, in case his condition worsened. "Alright, G…let's try to move on for a little bit…we'll see how it goes." Sam checked his own gun and satisfied that it was loaded and in working order, he got up off the ground.

Deeks painstakingly got to his feet and was a bit wobbly but managed to steady himself as Kensi put her arm around him. "I'm okay, baby," he said. Kensi kept her arm where it was though and Deeks didn't object. The team then set off behind Sam who took the lead, but at a slower pace than previously. Callen took the rear so he could keep an eye on Deeks, to make sure he wasn't running into trouble.

xxxxx

They had been walking for about a half hour when the walkie talkie suddenly came to life. "This is Base Command," Bart's now familiar voice stated. "All teams please report with your status."

"Edwards and Browning, all quiet."

"Randall and Parsons, all quiet."

"Mason and Arnold, all quiet."

There was then silence for a short time before Bart's voice was heard once again.

"Chandler and Bates, please report your status."

Sam turned around and exchanged a look with Callen. "Don't think he's going to get an answer," Callen said with a humorless smirk. "Not unless he has a direct line to Hell."

"Keep your eyes open, everyone," Sam said. He directed his gaze towards Deeks. "You hanging in there?"

"I'm good, Sam," Deeks replied. He appeared a little pale, but Sam took him at his word and began walking once again.

xxxxx

After another half hour or so, Bart spoke, once again, through the walkie talkie. However, this time his comments were directed at them. "You think you're so smart, Callen and Company?" he asked. "Whatever little victory you think you may have gained, rest assured, it will be very short lived. To all members of my teams, Protocol 2B has been enabled. Repeat, Protocol 2B has been enabled. Switch to private channel for further instructions."

Just then, Deeks stumbled and almost fell. "Hold up, Sam," Callen called out as he went over to Deeks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Deeks stated, a hint of aggravation in his eyes. "Let's keep going."

"Come on, Deeks," Callen said. "Let's just take a short break."

"I said I'm fine."

"Deeks," Kensi pleaded softly. "Listen to Callen…please."

Deeks looked at Kensi and after a long pause, he nodded and sank down to the ground. "I'll rest for a few minutes," he said as Kensi sat down next to him.

"You really don't have to try so hard," she said to him as she took his hand and drew it into her lap. "You don't need to impress us."

"I'm not trying to impress anyone, baby," Deeks said wearily. "It's just that I know, as well as anyone, what's at stake here."

"Even so," Kensi said, shaking her head. "You have to think about your health too. You don't want to get worse…"

"Kensi…baby, we've got to be realistic," Deeks said seriously as he gazed into her eyes. "We need to try to keep ahead of these guys…if we don't, well…I don't think any of us are going to have to worry about our health if we get our heads blown off…I'm well aware of my limitations and trust me, I haven't reached them yet."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help but be concerned about you, Deeks," Kensi said as she gently brushed some of his hair back from his face with her fingers. "You can't say you wouldn't feel the same way if our positions were reversed."

"You're right," said Deeks quietly, a loving smile on his lips. "I'll always worry about you."

Feeling as if he was intruding on what he felt should be a private moment, Callen directed his gaze away from the younger team members and turned towards his partner. "So, what are you thinking, Sam?" he asked.

"Actually, I'm thinking that I wish I had saved that protein bar for dinner," Sam said, with a faint grin.

Callen nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too," he admitted. He sighed softly as he noted the coolness in the air and shivered slightly. "The air is really changing. It was really hot earlier, but now the temperature is definitely dropping."

"Well at least we still have the blankets," Sam stated. "I'm thinking since those guys we took out didn't have sleeping bags or blankets with them, that they must have planned to meet up with the others at a main campsite by the end of the day."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Callen agreed. "I just wish we had some idea of how close they were to us…"

"No way of telling that," Sam said. "Although I have to admit I'm pretty curious about Protocol 2B."

"It's probably nothing, Sam," Callen said. "For all we know, Bart just said that to mess with us. Why wouldn't he just have said Plan B? I doubt he has a list of protocols on how to deal with us. I think he's just a crazy son of a bitch." He sighed as his stomach rumbled loudly. "I bet he and his men will be eating well tonight."

"Yeah…I could sure use a good meal," Sam said wistfully. "A big, juicy steak would taste really good right about now."

"With a baked potato with sour cream and a salad," Callen said. "Maybe some hot rolls with butter. That would really hit the spot."

"Come on guys," Kensi interrupted. "It's not going to do any of us any good to be thinking about the meals that we can't have." She was really hungry too, but hearing them talking about food only served to make her feel even hungrier. She looked at Deeks whose eyes were closed and spoke softly. "Are we going to stay here for the night?"

Callen looked at Deeks and then at Sam, leaving the decision in his hands.

"Yeah, we won't be able to make much more headway now anyhow," Sam said. "It'll be starting to get dark soon."

"I'm going to go refill my canteen before that happens," Callen said as he stood up. "Do you guys need water?" Kensi checked her and Deeks' canteens and found them to be over half full. "I think we're good until morning."

"I'll go with you, G," Sam said. He didn't want any of them going off on their own, even for short distances. They had been walking under the cover of trees, a little bit away from the rapids, figuring they were less exposed that way.

Callen handed his rifle off to Kensi. "Keep alert, Kens."

Kensi nodded as she took the rifle and Callen and Sam headed off in the direction of the water. "So, what do you think about Deeks?" Callen asked as they walked.

Sam shrugged. He's holding up well enough so far. We'll see how he does tonight. I don't like the fact that he has to go through all this with a bullet in him though. How about you?"

"What about me?" Callen asked.

"Come on, G. I know you've been hurting. You may be good at hiding things from other people, but I still see the signs."

"I'm okay, Sam," Callen said. "Honestly, it doesn't hurt as much as it did."

"Maybe you're just getting used to the pain."

Callen shook his head. "I'd tell you if it was bad."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Now I know you're playing me, G."

Callen decided further protests were useless. His partner was going to have his own thoughts on the matter no matter what he said to try to dissuade him. They reached the water and Callen climbed onto some rocks along the bank, then knelt down to fill his canteen.

"Be careful, G," Sam said, his eyes on his partner. He turned around to scan the area and suddenly saw a glimmer of sunlight on what appeared to be a rifle in the distance. "Sniper!" Sam yelled. He aimed his own rifle and shot in the direction of the gunman, just as the assailant began firing at them. Sam then checked on his partner's status, at the exact moment that Callen's stunned eyes met his. Sam saw blood on the side of Callen's head right before he dropped his canteen and toppled into the rushing river.


	9. Chapter 9

"G!" Sam frantically searched the water, trying to spot his partner. He couldn't see him anywhere though, not even a glimpse of him. "G!" He began to run and continued to scream for his friend as he ran and followed the river along its downstream course. "G, where are you?!" The gunman was completely forgotten as Sam desperately searched for Callen. "G…G please…" Sam finally stopped running and bent down, putting his hands on his knees as he started to sob. Callen was gone.

xxxxx

Kensi waited tensely, holding the rifle in position, as she kept an eye out for the possible appearance of Bart, his men or any other potential enemies. It was starting to grow dark and she was more than a little bit worried about the fate of Sam and Callen.

"I think something happened to them, Deeks," she said.

Deeks wanted to reassure her, but in all honesty, he had the same feeling. "Do you think we should look for them?" he asked.

Kensi hesitated as she tried to decide the best thing to do. She would have preferred going off on her own to look for Callen and Sam, but she knew there was no way Deeks would stay put here waiting. Not to mention, she didn't really want to leave him on his own. It wasn't like they could cut the rifle in half. "We'll wait a little bit longer," she stated uneasily. She prayed that one or both of their teammates hadn't been injured or worse.

xxxxx

Sam started slowly walking back upstream as he tried to make sense of what had happened, unable to stop thinking about how he had failed to save his partner. He wished he had searched the area before Callen went over to the side of the river. He should have been closer to him. If he had stayed by his partner's side, he could have grabbed him the second the shooting had begun. He could have shoved him to the ground, out of harm's way and away from the river…the river…he couldn't even bear to think of Callen dying alone in that cold and now swiftly darkening water. Finally, he reached the spot where Callen had dropped his canteen. He picked it up and clutched it tightly as tears began to fall once again. How could this have happened? How could he have failed his best friend so badly?

xxxxx

"I think we need to go," Kensi said as she got to her feet and reached for Deeks' hand to help him. "We need to find them before it gets really dark."

Deek was just about to take her hand when he spotted Sam slowly walking towards them. "Kens…" he said softly. Kensi looked at him with a questioning look in her eyes and then turned around and saw Sam.

"Sam? Sam, what happened?" Kensi asked. Her concern only grew as she saw that he had obviously been crying. She looked behind him for any sign of Callen, but there was none.

"We…we heard the shots," Deeks said. He exchanged a glance with Kensi, neither of them wanting to ask the obvious question.

Sam sat down heavily on the ground, not saying a word.

"Sam?" Kensi asked as she tentatively touched his shoulder. "Sam…Talk to us…Please…"

Still nothing.

"Is Callen? Is he?" Deeks hesitated, still not wanting to ask the question.

"Is he what, Deeks?" Sam turned his head and stared at the younger man, his eyes angry and glistening with tears. "Is he dead? Can't you say it? D…E…A…D… Dead. Yes, Deeks…he's dead!"

Kensi's eyes began to well up as she stared at Sam, horrified. "Sam? How? Where?"

"He's somewhere in the river," Sam whispered. "He…he was shot…in the head…He fell in, went under right away…I tried to find him…I did…I tried…I couldn't…I….I never saw him…not even a glimpse…"

"But, maybe…There's no…" Deeks stopped himself, unable to refer to Callen as a body. It sounded too cold, too callous…He was having a hard time believing this to be true. How could Callen be dead? It just didn't seem possible.

Sam didn't respond. He couldn't stop thinking about the look of shock on his partner's face. He had realized what had happened. Sam prayed he had lost consciousness immediately afterwards. He didn't want to think about him struggling in the water, unable to rise to the surface as his lungs filled with water and he drowned. He bowed his head and began to sob. First Michelle…now G…first his wife and now his brother…he was done…done with it all…done with NCIS. He'd had enough. It was just too much. How much more was he expected to take? Hadn't he lost enough? It just wasn't fair.

Kensi went to Sam and gently took him into her arms as he cried and she allowed her own tears to fall as well. This whole damn thing was just a huge nightmare and it kept on getting worse. She couldn't believe that Callen was gone. Maybe if she had witnessed it…maybe then, but not this way… She just didn't want to believe it was true…

xxxxx

When he first hit the ice cold water, Callen immediately went under as he felt his body slamming into rocks of varying shapes and sizes. He felt like he was spinning around in a giant washing machine full of rocks. The current carried him rapidly and he was unable to rise to the surface at first. He really thought he was going to drown. Then, every time he managed to get his head above the water, he was quickly swept under again. Finally, after being carried for what felt like forever, he desperately managed to grab onto a large rock and keep his head above the water for more than a few seconds. He coughed up water he had swallowed and took some gasping breaths. He couldn't stop shivering as he looked around to try to get a handle on where he was. Of course, he didn't have any idea. All he knew for sure was that he was all alone and in a terrible amount of trouble.

Callen realized that eventually he was going to have to let go of the rock and make an attempt to swim towards land. As he looked at the distance he needed to go, he wasn't very optimistic about his odds for success. Realizing that he was just going to get colder, the longer he stayed in the water, he finally decided to go for it and he let go of the rock. Unfortunately, the current continued to carry him downstream, but eventually he reached an area where the flow of the water was slower. Finally, using the last bit of strength and stamina that he possessed, he managed to make it to shore. He crawled out of the water onto the riverbank and passed out, totally spent from what he'd just gone through.

When Callen eventually came to, the first thing he noted was that it was almost dark. He slowly sat up to try to take stock of his injuries. He was sore all over. He had no idea how many scrapes and bruises he now had as a result of his crazy plunge into the rock-filled river. He was also entirely soaked and freezing. "Damn…" he said to himself as he wrapped his arms across his chest and tried to stop shivering. He then remembered the gunshot that had gone off and he tentatively felt the side of his head. He suspected the wound couldn't be anything more than a graze or there was no way he could have made it through the rapids alive. The wound felt very shallow and was pretty sore, but was likely just a scrape. He realized how lucky he was to be alive. He wasn't lucky to be separated from the rest of the team though. He also wondered what they thought about his situation, if they even thought he was alive. He realized there was every reason in the world for them to think he was dead. Because of that, he was going to have to try to find them, in case they weren't looking for him. They had been consistently following the river downstream and Callen couldn't think of any reason why Sam would change their course. With that in mind, he slowly began to head upstream, hoping, at some point, to meet up with his teammates once again.

xxxxx

Sam's tears had finally ceased and now he, Kensi and Deeks were just sitting there in the dark, all of them alone with their morbid thoughts.

"Maybe he's still alive…" Deeks finally stated, wanting to break the eerie silence and needing to say what had been on his mind ever since Sam had returned from the river.

"He's not alive," Sam said. His voice sounded lifeless, almost devoid of any emotion. "He was shot in the head... Either the bullet killed him or he drowned." Once again, he prayed the bullet had killed him, the other alternative sounding too awful.

"But Sam…"

"Deeks…Shh…" Kensi took his hand and held it gently. "We'll be heading downstream tomorrow," she whispered to him. "We'll search for him as we walk…maybe…maybe there will be a miracle." She didn't really think so, nor did she want to get Sam's hopes up, but even if they found Callen's body, washed up on the bank of the river…as distressing as that thought was, at least it would give them closure.

xxxxx

Callen's walking was clumsy as he tried to make his way through the darkness, stumbling numerous times over rocks and exposed roots. He knew this wasn't a very good idea, but neither was falling asleep in the cold with his wet clothes. More than anything, he wished that he was back with his friends and that he could wrap himself up in a warm blanket and sip from a cup of hot tea. He hadn't gone very far at all when he spotted the unmistakable glow of a campfire and heard the murmuring of voices. Knowing with certainty that it wasn't his team, he forced himself to move faster. He needed to warn his teammates that they were heading in the direction that would put them on a direct collision course with Bart and his goons.

"Agent Callen," the haunting voice came out of the darkness and then a flashlight was turned on and shone in his face. Callen turned his head away from the light only to see that, in addition to Bart, he was surrounded by four men with rifles all pointed directly at him.

"I suggest you come with us," Bart said as two of the men roughly grabbed Callen by his arms. Resistance will prove to be quite futile and will leave a bit of a bloody mess in this beautiful natural habitat. I don't think we want that, do we?"

Unable to see any viable means of escape, Callen did as he was told and didn't try to escape as Bart and his men ushered him towards the camp.


	10. Chapter 10

As Callen was forcibly dragged in the direction of Bart's camp, he couldn't help but wonder why the man hadn't just shot him on the spot. Wasn't that the point of this supposed game? Maybe he was going to kill him slowly and painfully. As if he wasn't already in enough pain. Right now, he was having a difficult time trying to identify a part of his body that didn't hurt.

"What do you think, Agent Callen?" Bart asked when they arrived at the camp. The tantalizing aroma of cooking meat hung in the air and the campfire burned brightly. Callen gazed at it longingly, craving the warmth which it would provide. Tents were set up along the perimeter of the campsite.

"He asked you a question, boy," one of the men grasping his arm growled. "You'd better answer him or I'll teach you a lesson about manners you won't soon forget."

Callen shook his head wearily. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. Finally he spoke, not really wanting his body to undergo more of a beating if it could be avoided. "It's nice." He mentally congratulated himself that he'd managed to sound only a little bit sarcastic.

Bart started to laugh. "Why yes, it is rather nice, isn't it? It doesn't provide all the comforts of home, but for someone like me who's been in prison, it does the trick quite nicely. Of course, for you, having lived in the splendor of Henrietta's luxurious style of living, it must seem a bit mundane."

"I haven't lived with Hetty for a very long time," Callen stated.

"No, no I don't suppose you have," Bart said musingly. "From what I've been able to decipher, you live a very simple life."

Callen forced himself not to react, but it was obvious to him that Bart had done his homework very thoroughly. "You must have had yourself quite a network while you were in prison."

Bart nodded. "Yes…yes, I did. It's quite amazing what money buys, Agent Callen. There are many desperate people in the world who will do practically anything for you if you offer them enough. Money talks. It's a fact. But I digress, surely you're hungry? You look cold as well. Sitting over there by the fire, wrapped up in a blanket…it sounds good, doesn't it?"

Callen tried to hide the fact that he was still shivering. He knew damn well that Bart was playing with him. He didn't expect a meal or a place by the fire, unless Bart was planning to throw him into it.

"No? You're not hungry? Not cold?"

"What if I am?" Callen asked, against his better judgement.

"Well then, all you have to do is ask. Ask me for a nice hot meal… Ask me for a blanket and a place by the fire. Just ask and these things can be yours…if the price is right."

Callen smirked as he stared back at Bart. "What price? Money? Sorry, I don't have any on me at the moment. Unless…is there an ATM around here?"

Bart chuckled. "Humor in spite of adversity…I like it, but seriously, there are other things besides money. I actually have little use for any more of that. I've got more than enough. However, you could perform little jobs…little tasks… Such things would be invaluable to me."

"Why don't you just spell it out?" Callen asked angrily. He'd had more than enough of this fool. "What is it you want?"

"It could be fun to see you kill one of your teammates. I'd like that quite a bit actually. You could pick who. I don't imagine you'd want to kill your partner, probably not the lady either. That leaves Detective Deeks. He's already been shot, hasn't he? Probably wouldn't take too much to finish him off."

Callen gave Bart an incredulous look. "Wow…" he said, shaking his head. "If you actually think I'd kill one of my friends for a blanket or something to eat, you're even crazier than I thought you were."

"Insolent pup," Bart snarled. "Take him and tie him to a tree," he said to the men holding him. "Over there." He pointed to a tree on the outskirts of the camp, a good distance away from the fire. "Make sure he doesn't get the slightest bit of warmth and be sure to bind him very tightly. Don't worry about making him comfortable, just keep him secure. He's a valuable pawn in our little game. We wouldn't want him to get away."

xxxxx

"How are you feeling?" Kensi asked as she pulled the blanket covering Deeks tighter around him and caressed the side of his face.

"I've been better," Deeks replied.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Kensi asked, her concern obvious as she looked back at him. "I wish I could do something to make you feel better."

"It's not that, baby," Deeks said, shaking his head. "I just can't stop thinking about Callen…"

"I know…" Kensi crawled under the blanket with Deeks and pulled another blanket on top of them before she snuggled against him. "I don't know how Sam's going to be able to get through this…He's been through so much already…"

Deeks glanced over at where Sam was lying, alone, away from them. In the darkness, he couldn't really see him all that clearly, but he could imagine what he was feeling. The losses that Sam had suffered in the last few months were brutal and heart wrenching blows. "We'll help him, Kens…" he said softly. "We'll do anything we can to help him."

Kensi nodded, but she didn't think helping Sam would be an easy task. For herself, she was, mostly unsuccessfully, trying hard not to think about Callen. This wasn't the proper time or place to mourn his loss. There would be time for that later, if and when they managed to survive. Callen's death only proved to show just how vulnerable they all were in this situation and she was very scared for Deeks. She knew he was being brave for her, but she knew he was in pain, even if he wasn't admitting it. She also knew his condition could worsen at any time which frightened her more than anything.

xxxxx

Callen stared at the fire as he tried not to think about how miserable he was. Bart's henchmen had done exactly as Bart had asked. They had bound him exceedingly tightly so that there was not the slightest chance of escape. He couldn't move at all, except for his legs, which he shifted and bent periodically to try to keep them from stiffening up the way the rest of his body had stiffened. He hurt so badly. The pain in his ribs, which he'd been trying to ignore ever since Burke had punched him a couple of days ago, had intensified dramatically after his stint in the river. And he was just so damn cold. He was trying very hard to mentally transport himself into another time and place, but it really wasn't working very well. Knowing that warmth and food were right there, just out of his reach, was torturous.

xxxxx

Sam could hear Deeks' and Kensi's soft murmurings in the background. He didn't know what they were saying, but he was pretty sure that he and Callen were the main topic of their conversation. He still couldn't really believe what had happened. Tears brimmed in his eyes once again as he thought of his partner's fate. "I'm so sorry, G…" he whispered. It seemed he kept failing the people he loved most in this world. First Michelle, and now G. He hadn't been able to find his wife in time to save her and now, when G had needed him most, he hadn't had his partner's back. He honestly didn't know what he would do without him.

xxxxx

A sharp kick to the side of his leg caused Callen to awaken. He was surprised he'd been able to sleep at all, but evidently exhaustion had won out over being cold and in pain. "Good morning, Agent Callen," Bart said exuberantly, a big smile on his face. "Did you sleep well? In all honesty, you look like crap."

Callen sluggishly looked up at Bart and saw the man was holding a camera. What the hell was this about?

"Say cheese!" Bart said as he aimed the camera and took a picture of Callen. He then looked into the view finder to inspect the picture. "Oh this is wonderful," he gushed. "Henrietta is going to love seeing her lead agent battered and tied to a tree. I have to say, this doesn't exactly inspire confidence in NCIS personnel. She may need to rethink her hiring process. Can you imagine a picture like this on a recruiting poster?" Bart chuckled gleefully. "That would be priceless."

A million things to say went through Callen's head, but he knew saying any of them would only bring about consequences that wouldn't be good, so he remained silent.

"So, how are you doing?" Bart cooed, oozing false sympathy as he smiled down at the helpless agent. "You must be really hungry by now. I bet a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast and hash brown potatoes would hit the spot, wouldn't it? Hell, you haven't had anything to drink either, have you? Well, except for all the water you swallowed when you were taking your bath in the river." He leaned down and touched Callen's shirt. "Still wet. That can't feel very good. I imagine it'll dry in the sunshine today though. You're a lucky man. You're going to warm right up."

"Go to hell," Callen snarled, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"I imagine I will go there someday…" Bart said thoughtfully as he nodded. "But not today, and I'm not one of those people who worries about the future, so let's just move past that. We have a lot to do this morning. Preparations must be made. Don't you run away now, you hear? I'll be back with a very special surprise chosen especially for you."

xxxxx

"G?" Sam called out when he first awoke and didn't see his partner anywhere. It only took him a couple of moments to remember what had occurred…that Callen was gone. He glanced over at Deeks and Kensi who still appeared to be asleep and he vowed to do everything he could to protect the two of them from this lunatic and his so-called game. He would kill Bart and whoever else he needed to kill to make sure they were okay. He hadn't been able to protect G. He had no intention of making that mistake again.

xxxxx

"Ooooh…" Deeks groaned softly as his eyes opened and he gained an acute awareness of the intense, burning pain in his shoulder, once again.

"Deeks?" Kensi sat up and put her hand on his forehead, not looking at all happy.

"I'm okay," he said, easily recognizing how scared and worried she was.

"I know you are…" she said, forcing a smile.

"How are you two doing this morning?" Sam asked as he came over to them, his eyes on Deeks.

"We're good, Sam," Deeks said.

"I think he may be running a fever," Kensi informed him.

"I'm going to take a look at your shoulder, okay Deeks?" Sam said as Deeks nodded his assent. Sam proceeded to carefully unwrap his shoulder and gently removed the bandage from the surface of the wound. The edges of the wound were a dark red and there was a little bit of pus in the wound as well… not good signs. Sam wished he had access to a fire, knowing that warm compresses could be helpful in trying to draw some of the infection out. "I'm going to leave this open for a little while to see if it can drain. He then poured some cool water onto a gauze pad and place it on Deeks' forehead. "Just lie here quietly for now, Deeks. Do you think you're going to be up to walking today?"

Deeks nodded. "I don't plan on staying here, that's for sure. I'll be fine, Sam."

"How are you doing?" Kensi asked Sam, looking at him sadly.

Sam shook his head, his eyes full of despair and emptiness. "I just can't believe he's gone," he said softly. "I'm going to kill these maggots for what they've put us through…and especially for what they did to G..."

Deeks nodded somberly. "I'm onboard with that," he said, his blue eyes intense as he looked back at Sam. "We'll do it for Callen."

"We'll do it for Callen" echoed Kensi. "Bart's the one who made up all the rules. I say we beat him at his own game, no matter what."


	11. Chapter 11

Callen watched two of Bart's men who appeared to be drawing or writing on large pieces of cardboard. He couldn't help but wonder what Bart's latest brainstorm was. This freak needed to be back in prison or better yet, dead, as soon as it could be accomplished.

"Are you teaching an art class?" Callen asked as Bart approached. "I wouldn't mind taking part in it. I'm always looking to expand my creativity." The pain from being bound so tightly and for so long was nearly unbearable. He wasn't sure how much more he could stand.

Bart didn't crack a smile. "I want to know what happened to my men," he said.

"Your men? Aren't they right over there?" Callen asked, his expression the picture of innocence.

"Don't toy with me, Agent Callen. If you do, I'll send Burke over here and let him have his way with you. He's an ex MMA fighter and his punches have proven lethal to others in the past." Callen looked uneasily at Burke who was smiling evilly, a short distance away from them. Burke waved at Callen, as his smile growing into a full-fledged laugh. "You know who I'm talking about."

"They're dead," Callen replied.

"I figured that out for myself," Bart stated. "How did you kill them?"

"With a rifle… One of their rifles."

"And who killed them?"

"I did."

"Both of them?"

Callen nodded. "Yes, I killed both of them," he said matter-of-factly.

Bart shook his head skeptically. "I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want," Callen said. "It doesn't matter to me." He certainly wasn't about to throw Sam under the bus for killing Bart's men.

"And what did you do with the bodies?"

"They went down the river."

"And I suppose you had no help with that either?"

Callen just shrugged.

"Those men had families, lives beyond this job. They didn't deserve what you did to them."

Callen shook his head in disbelief. "Are you really this crazy or is this some kind of a joke? You're the one who initiated this whole thing. This game certainly wasn't our idea. You're the one who set the rules. Kill or be killed. In case you forgot, we're here against our will. If anyone is to blame for your men being dead, it's you."

"You know…I was going to reconsider and allow you to have some breakfast this morning," Bart said. "But now, because of your smart-ass attitude, I'm not going to."

"Well, I don't really believe you were going to do that anyway," Callen said. "So I guess we're a just a couple of non-believers."

"I was actually beginning to feel a little bit bad about what I'm going to have to do with you, but now…I'm pretty sure that you deserve it." Bart then turned and walked back to his men who were still writing on the cardboard squares.

"I don't believe you felt bad either! And you don't  ** _have_**  to do anything with me either. I do believe you're delusional though," Callen shouted angrily. He'd had just about enough of Bart, enough of being tied up, enough of this whole damn thing. He wondered if his team was at all close to coming upon this campsite. He just hoped they didn't completely miss it. It was far enough from the river that it could be a very definite possibility. He just prayed that they would discover the camp without being uncovered themselves. The thought of his team coming into camp, guns blazing, was the only thing that was keeping him from losing it entirely.

xxxxx

After Sam had left Deeks' wound exposed to the open air for a short time, he rinsed it with a copious amount of water and then used some more sterile saline before re-dressing the wound. "There you go, Deeks," Sam said. "Are you two ready to get moving?"

"Thanks, Sam," Deeks replied with a nod. "I'm ready. How about you, Kens?" he asked.

Kensi nodded as she grabbed the canteens and flung the straps over her shoulder as well as one of the rifles. "I'm all set, Sam. Let's go."

xxxxx

Callen was left alone for about a half hour before Bart approached him again, accompanied by another man who was carrying a large duffle bag. Callen was immediately apprehensive, sensing that something was up and he was relatively certain, whatever it was, did not bode well for him.

"Agent Callen, I'd like you to meet Michael Shaughnessy. He's one of the finest explosive experts around. Graduated top of his class from M.I.T. You should consider it a great compliment that I've chosen him to work with you."

"Nice to meet you, Agent Callen," Shaughnessy said with a grin. He was young and small, very thin with glasses, looking very much like the stereotypical definition of a nerd. "I hear you're going to experience some of my work first hand. Bart has told me a lot about you. I'm honored to have been chosen to...well…" He blushed and turned his head away, then stared down at the ground.

"To kill me?" Callen asked coldly, staring at Shaughnessy, flabbergasted. He was really beginning to wish the sniper who had shot at him the previous afternoon had been truer with his aim. At least he likely wouldn't have even known what hit him. Every one of these guys was a damn psycho. How the hell had Bart managed to find them all? Was there a Psycho for Hire network that he was totally unaware of? He couldn't help his sudden attack of nerves. This kind of a threat was one he had no real defense against.

Bart smiled at Callen. "What's the matter?" he asked him. "Suddenly, you're not looking as smug as you were before. Don't you like the idea of being blown into a million pieces?"

"Go to hell," Callen said.

Bart shook his head sadly. "You've already said that to me today…I would have thought you'd have a bit more originality. Even telling me to fuck off would have packed more of a punch, I think. Not very original either, but better than saying the exact same thing…I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. In any case, I'll leave you to do your work, Michael."

Bart started to walk away and Callen's mind started going a mile a minute as he tried to think of something he could say to this kid to persuade him to help him. Suddenly, Bart turned around and then returned. He proceeded to pull a long piece of cloth out of his pocket. "I don't think Michael wants to be disturbed as he works." He tied a large knot in the middle of the cloth and jammed it into Callen's mouth, then tightly tied the ends of the cloth around his head. "There…now he won't be bothering you, Michael. Let me know when you're done."

"Sure thing, boss," Michael said, smiling, as he opened up the duffel bag and began to pull out some of the items it contained.

xxxxx

Sam walked slowly, setting an almost leisurely pace, in an attempt to not tire Deeks too quickly. His thoughts were all over the place as he was assaulted by a flood of memories he found impossible to keep at bay. He remembered back to the first time Callen had met his family. Michelle had wanted to meet his partner for the longest time, but Callen had kept making excuses, until that day she had shown up at work unexpectedly and cornered his partner.

_"Good afternoon. Are you Agent Callen?" Michelle asked, her eyes piercing, as she stood in front of Callen's desk, seemingly having arrived out of the blue._

_"Yes, I'm Agent Callen."_

_"I'm Michelle Hanna. Sam tells me you refuse to come to our home to meet me and our children. Is there some reason for this? I'm not sure what I could have done to offend you since we've never even met until now. Have I done something to offend you, Agent Callen? Or is it my children who offend you? Do you dislike children? Is that it?"_

_Callen stared at Michelle, his cheeks flushed, looking somewhat shell shocked as she talked on and on. Sam had been amused by Callen's plight at first, but had finally taken pity on his partner. "Michelle, I think that G's calendar finally opened up, didn't it?" he asked Callen. "You'll be able to join us Friday night?"_

_Callen quickly nodded. "Yes, yes Friday night sounds perfect."_

_"Wonderful," Michelle smiled at Callen. "Six o'clock sharp. Don't be late." She had then kissed her husband goodbye and had left the office as quickly as she had come._

_On Friday night, Sam's doorbell had rung and he had opened the door to find his nervous-appearing partner, wearing dress pants with a shirt and tie, holding flowers and two giftwrapped boxes. "Hey G, come on in." He had stepped aside so Callen could enter the house. The two men had then walked into the living room. This is my son, Aiden and that little one is my daughter, Kamran."_

_"Nice to meet you, sir," Aiden said politely._

_"It's nice to meet you too, Aiden," Callen said, handing him a box. "This is for you, and you can just call me Callen."_

_"Thank you, Callen," Aiden said as he took the box. "Can I open it, dad?"_

_Sam nodded his assent and Aiden eagerly tore into the box, pulling out a dump truck moments later. "It's awesome. Thank you!" he said, delighted with the unexpected gift._

_Kamran had just sat on the floor gaping up at him until Callen handed her one of the boxes he was carrying. She had squealed in delight, pounding on the box with her hands until Callen had helped her open it. "Doggy!" she had screamed when the floppy-eared stuff dog was finally revealed._

Kamran still had that dog to this day. It was a little bit tattered with its worn off patches of fur and one ear which had been practically ripped off his head, but skillfully sewn back together by Michelle. Sam knew that Kamran wouldn't dream of parting from it though, no matter how old and battered it was. Both children loved their Uncle Callen, but Kamran had always been especially attached to him. His daughter had had a rough summer after the death of her mom, but things had been a little better for her since she had gone away to school. Now, Sam was going to have to break the news to her of Callen's death. He knew she was going to be devastated.

_Sam had left Callen to get acquainted with the children and had gone into the kitchen where his wife was putting the finishing touches on their meal. "I think you're going to have to lighten up on my partner," he said with a chuckle as he put his arms around her playfully. "He's out there with gifts and flowers, wearing a tie. I'd say you scared the daylights out of him."_

_"Oh Sam, you're kidding, aren't you?" she asked, looking dismayed by his joking accusation. She had then gone out into the living room and Callen had given her the flowers. By the time the night ended, she had gotten him to loosen up considerably and also lose the tie, much to her relief._

_"Your partner is adorable, Sam," Michelle said as they had lain in bed together that night. "He really doesn't have a girlfriend? I find that hard to believe."_

_"Should I be worried that you're talking about my adorable partner while you're in bed with me?" Sam asked in amusement. "No, he doesn't have a girlfriend and no, we're not matching him up with any of your friends. Are you trying to scare him away for good?"_

_"Of course not," Michelle replied. "He was very sweet with the children though, especially with Kamran. Did you notice? It wasn't what I expected."_

_Sam nodded. "I did notice." He grinned at Michelle. "Guess we may have ourselves a new babysitter."_

_That night had been the first step toward his partner and his wife becoming the best of friends and of Callen becoming a part of their family._

Once again, Sam felt the tears in his eyes as he realized he had now lost his partner as well as his wife. Two people who had been so important to him were both gone from his life, quickly and unexpectedly. Just a few days ago, he and Callen had been making plans to see a Clippers game on the weekend, now he couldn't remember ever feeling as lonely as he did right now.

xxxxx

Callen had watched with increasing trepidation as Michael had constructed a complex structure of criss-crossed wires around him, all connected to one device which he placed by Callen's side. "Now you don't want to move your legs, Agent Callen," Michael informed him. "If you touch that wire just above them, well…I think you get the picture…kaboom." He looked at Callen apologetically. "I really am sorry about this. Bart has been great to me though and when he asked me for this one favor, well…I couldn't very well refuse him. He's provided funding for me to have my own lab. It's a dream come true for someone like me. I'm going to be moving on to bigger and better things very, very soon. One day I'll be a household name." Michael's eyes were glowing and he sounded power hungry, the way he was talking. At first, he had appeared to be very non-threatening, but now Callen was sure he was anything but that. "In any case…it's possible you'll get out of this…improbable, but possible…" He then carefully maneuvered his way out between the wires, leaving Callen alone in the middle of what was basically a death trap.

Bart walked over, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he inspected Callen's predicament. "Oh Michael…this is superb," he gushed, patting the young man's back. "You see why I hired him?" he asked Callen. "A true mastermind at his craft. I love surrounding myself with brilliant and creative minds. It's just so inspiring. Now, we're going to take our leave of this area. I want to send off your picture to Henrietta and take care of a few little things. Michael has important work to do so I need to get him back to his lab. But I just have to get a picture of this too." He raised the camera he was carrying and took a quick shot. "Henrietta will just die when she sees it!"

Bart paused to take a breath before he went on. "So, up until now, I admit I've been playing with your team a bit. You really haven't proven to be the challenge I had expected. Hopefully, with the addition of rifles, your remaining team members will step thing up a bit. If not, well, they'll be dead relatively quickly. Perhaps I'll see you again, but most likely not. You'll probably be best served by keeping awake. If you move your legs in your sleep…well…there won't be very much left of you, maybe just a finger or toe scattered here or there. Might be a nice thing for your partner to preserve and keep, if he's into souvenirs. It wouldn't be my taste, but everybody's different. Good day, Agent Callen. Enjoy the rest of your day and/or life."

xxxxx

They had been walking for a couple of hours and Deeks was already having a difficult time keeping up. He knew that Sam was setting a slow, deliberate pace, which made him feel even worse about things. Basically, he just felt lousy. His shoulder was throbbing and he just felt tired and weak and he'd stumbled once or twice as well. He knew he was holding them up.

"Deeks? Do you want to take a break?" Kensi asked.

He really wished she wouldn't keep looking at him in that worried way that made him feel guilty for being the cause of her distress. "I'm good, baby," he said, forcing a bright smile onto his face. Kensi nodded, but he could tell he wasn't fooling her. He wasn't going to stop trying though.

Suddenly up ahead, Sam stopped short. "What's he doing?" Kensi asked.

"It looks like he's staring at a tree," Deeks whispered back. The two came up behind Sam and saw that he wasn't staring at a tree, but rather a sign on a tree which read: "CALLEN DEAD OR ALIVE?" with an arrow pointing further into the forest.

"What the hell?" Sam said, shaking his head grimly. The three team members were all thinking about the same thing, when Tahir had hijacked Michelle's body. "They must have found him," Sam said with a catch in his voice. He couldn't bear the thought of these sick bastards having G's body.

"Or they're just playing us," Deeks said.

"What if it's a trap?" Kensi asked.

"You two can stay here," Sam said gruffly. "I'll be back."

"Wait, Sam," Kensi grabbed his upper arm. "We just need to be smart about this. We can't just go carelessly rushing in there. She turned to Deeks. "You should stay here though."

Deeks shook his head. "No way."

"Deeks, please," Kensi said. You can't handle a rifle. We don't even have enough to go around."

"I don't care, Kensi," Deeks stated. "I'm going with you."

"Look, I don't care who's going or who's staying, but I'm not waiting," Sam said impatiently as he started to walk in the direction the arrow had been pointing. Kensi and Deeks both followed along behind him. It wasn't long before they came upon the next sign. "YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK!"

"This guy is a real sick fucker," Deeks mumbled as he glanced at Sam's face. The man looked positively tortured.

The next sign had no words. It just showed a stick figure, a tree and a bunch of lines everywhere. "What do you think it means?" Kensi asked, looking puzzled.

"They're probably just messing with us," Deeks said. "Let's keep going."

xxxxx

Callen didn't know what to do. He was in so much pain and he really saw no way out of this situation. If his team was to find him, he would never want them to risk their lives to try to save him. There was only one solution. Michael's words reverberated in his head. The wire above his legs was the only possibility. He knew it would be fast, likely instantaneous death. The only thing keeping him from doing it was his team finding out what he had done. He knew it would eat at them, especially Sam. There was no doubt they would hear the explosion, but if he wanted to protect them, it was what he needed to do. He finally made up his mind. Hopefully, they would just think it was an accident, that he'd accidentally hit the trip wire. He took a deep breath as he tried to get up the courage to do what needed to be done. He slowly began to raise his leg, but then he saw them and he knew he had lost his chance. He could never do it now.

xxxxx

Looks like a clearing up ahead," Sam stated. "Be careful." This was looking more and more like a trap. They could walk into the clearing, out into the open, and be easily ambushed. When they got to the edge of the clearing though, all three stopped short and stared in shock at the figure at the opposite side of the clearing. He wasn't moving but they couldn't tell if it was because he was tied up or if he was dead.

"G!" Sam shouted as he began to run. Luckily, no gunshots were fired in his direction and Kensi and Deeks went after him, at a slower pace, as Kensi kept a careful lookout for anything suspicious. Finally, they arrived at the location where Sam was standing, but he had not approached his partner any further. One look told them why. Callen had moved his head and was staring back at them, obviously very much alive. However, it didn't look like he would remain that way for long, trapped in the midst of what appeared to be a complex booby trap of trip wires rigged to explode.

"It's going to be okay, G," Sam called out to him, trying to hide the horror he was feeling at his partner's plight. "We're going to get you out of this."

Callen nodded, but his eyes looked scared, not that any of them could blame him.

"Does this remind you of anything, Kens?" Deeks asked, sharing an uneasy look with her. He could see that she remembered as well as he did. It wasn't something easily forgotten…the time when she had been trapped in the explosive laser room and the two of them had barely escaped with their lives.


	12. Chapter 12

"What do you think, Sam?" Kensi asked as she and Deeks watched him walk around the perimeter of the wire structure.

Sam slowly shook his head. "I don't know…it looks simple enough to disarm, but it's the placement that's the problem. He glanced at his partner and didn't even bother to ask him if there was any chance of him getting loose. He was tied up really well and Sam wondered if he was even able to walk at this point. He also knew that he, himself, was much too big to try to get through some of the spaces. He'd blow them up for sure.

"I can get in there, Sam," Kensi said. "I'll be able to. I'm small enough. I can get through it. Once I have, I'll tell you what it looks like and we'll figure out the best way to disarm it."

Deeks really didn't want her to do it, but he knew he had to keep his thoughts to himself. They couldn't just leave Callen here and Kensi was the obvious choice to try. He knew he wasn't in the proper physical shape to try to undertake it himself. It didn't mean he had to like it though. One wrong move…he couldn't let his thoughts go there. He had to believe she'd be fine.

Sam looked over at his partner who was shaking his head with a pleading look in his eyes. "We have to try, G," he said.

"I can do this, Callen," Kensi said to him with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. It's going to be alright."

"Are you sure about this?" Deeks asked, grabbing her and pulling her towards him. "Maybe…maybe there's another way?"

"What other way, Deeks?" Kensi asked softly as she gazed into his eyes. "It's not like we can get the bomb squad out here. This is what we do. You know I have to do it. I don't want anything to happen to him."

Deeks looked up towards the sky and then back at Kensi. "I know, but…" He pulled her in for a kiss and then released her, but still gazed at her intently. "Please, please, please be careful."

"I will. You're going to need a nurse once we get out of this mess and I'm planning to fill that position. I'll be alright, Deeks, I promise."

xxxxx

As Callen watched Kensi, readying herself for this do or die mission, he wished he could talk to her. He wanted to tell her it was okay for her not to do this. He didn't know what he'd do if she got blown up, but he guessed he wouldn't do much of anything, because he would be blown up as well. If only he'd made the decision sooner to activate the trip wire, but he'd been too wishy washy about it and now…now they might all lose their lives because of it. Sam and Deeks weren't moving away either. That was just wrong. He thought once more about just kicking the wire but they were too close now anyway. He wished Sam and Deeks would move out of harm's way. Sam had Kam and Aiden to think about. He stared at Sam, his eyes filled with anxiety for his friends. "It's going to be okay, G," Sam told him. "It's going to be okay…"

xxxxx

Kensi stripped down to her undergarments. She didn't want to chance that any loose clothing would possibly touch against a wire. She then removed her boots and Sam handed her the small scissors that had been with the first aid supplies. The three men watched with bated breath as she began to take her first step into the maze of wires. She stepped over a low wire and then began to duck under a higher wire. "Just a little bit lower, Kensi," Deeks said, quietly guiding her. She did as he said and was able to stand. She then tried to figure out her best bet to get further inside.

"Over to your right, Kensi," Sam said after he studied the trap for the best angle. "That opening is pretty big."

"Just watch yourself when you get past it," Deeks said. "Some of the wires look pretty tight inside there."

"Wait Kensi," Sam stated, considering what Deeks had just said. "Do you think she's better off to the left? There's less room to maneuver, but once she gets through there, she'll be able to move more."

"I think that's a better idea, Kens," Deeks said, but you've got a different perspective from us. Go with your gut."

Kensi nodded and she went to her left. She was now very close to Callen and to the device beside him. Now that she could see it more clearly, she realized it might not be as simple to disarm as it had appeared from further away. "It's going to be okay," she said softly as their eyes met. He nodded, praying that she was right. For his part, he wanted to talk so badly. It was making him crazy that he had no input at all into what was happening. At the very least, he wanted Kensi to know how much he appreciated what she was doing for him. That he had the complete loyalty and backing of his team…that they would basically do anything for him…it meant the world to him. It was something he never thought he'd have in life.

The next move would be the final one and she would be with Callen. She took a deep breath, recognizing it was tricky. She bent at the waist and then gracefully twisted her body to avoid the place where two wires narrowed towards each other. She then lifted her left foot above a lower wire and then her right foot and she had done it. She then looked down at the device. Some of it she understood, but there was another part which appeared complicated to her. There were some striped wires connected in a way she had never really seen before.

"Kensi? Ungag him!" Sam desperately wanted to hear his partner's voice. Also, G could have knowledge that could be of help to them. Kensi nodded and Callen bowed his head so she could untie the knot behind his head. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was removed.

"Thank you," Callen said, looking up at her gratefully and Kensi knew he wasn't only talking about the gag.

"You're welcome," she replied with a soft smile.

"G?" Sam called over to him and Callen gazed back at his partner. "Did they say anything that might be of help to us?"

Callen shook his head. "Bart had some hotshot M.I.T. graduate make up this contraption, a regular little genius. He knew what he was doing, Sam."

"Don't worry…" Kensi said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out."

Callen shook his head. "Listen, Kens…if you're not sure, if you're not damn sure…I want you to get out of this mess the same way you got into it. Maneuver your way out and don't look back." He knew there was no way in hell he would be able to do it. He was so weak and his body wracked with pain. He honestly didn't even know if he could walk. He certainly couldn't twist himself into a pretzel to get out of this.

"We're getting out of this together," Kensi said. She couldn't even imagine not doing everything in her power to save him. She knew she would never forgive herself if she was to walk away without trying to help him. She then turned to Sam, after giving Deeks a reassuring smile, and began to explain to him the circuitry she was looking at on the device.

Callen tried to turn his head so that he could get a look at it, but it was a little bit out of his field of vision and he couldn't even catch a glimpse of it. It was just another in a series of frustrations. He listened as Sam and Kensi went back and forth over what was the best strategy, the best chance of success. The striped wires and the way they were connected seemed to be puzzling to Sam which made Callen nervous. He didn't want Kensi to take a chance with her own and the lives of the team just to attempt to save him. Finally, Sam came up with a strategy for Kensi to follow, but he didn't look sure and Kensi's own eyes were apprehensive as she prepared to cut the first wire. "Kens…" Callen said, staring at her, his blue eyes filled with emotion. "Please…please just go. Think of Deeks. Think of your life together."

"Callen…" Kensi said, trying hard to keep her voice calm for his and for her own benefit. "Look at me and tell me that you would leave me here, tied to a tree, that you would walk away and never look back. Tell me that the sound of that explosion taking my life wouldn't haunt you for the rest of your life, that you wouldn't care that I was dead, that it wouldn't bother you that you could have been the one to save me, but you didn't even try."

Callen bowed his head, unable to even conceive of such a notion. He could never leave her that way. He would never be able to leave any member of his team under such circumstances. It was humbling to realize they felt the same way about him.

"It's going to be okay," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder and then turning back to her task as Callen held his breath and wondered what it would feel like to be blown into a million pieces.

xxxxx

Kensi smiled back at Deeks one last time, then went to cut the first wire she and Sam had agreed upon, yellow with blue stripes. The first aid scissors weren't meant for this task and she struggled, but finally managed to saw her way through it. She breathed a sigh of relief when all remained quiet. Then, two more sequential cuts were made to a silver wire, then white with red stripes. She thought she was done, but there were no warning lights or anything like that to really signify that they were safe.

"Now what?" she called over to Sam.

Sam took a deep breath as he approached the crisscrossed wire booby trap. "Now we test it," he said as he stood just on the outside of it. He looked down at his partner and gave him a look of encouragement.

Callen shook his head, his eyes tormented. "No. All of you, listen to me. Please just get out of here," he begged. "Sam, think of your children. They can't lose another parent. Please… If you care about me at all, you'll do this for me." He then turned and looked at Kensi pleadingly. "You've done everything you could to help me, Kens…Now I want you to get out of here…get out of this trap, go with Sam and Deeks and get a safe distance away. Then I will test this out. There's nothing else you can do for me. Sacrificing yourselves makes no sense at all. Think of your futures. Whether or not this works out, I'll forever be grateful that you risked your lives for me. Now please, go…"

Kensi turned around and looked at Deeks who nodded as did Sam. She then looked back down at Callen. "I…I need to untie you," she said with a catch in her voice.

He shook his head. "Please just go. Please?"

"I love you," she said as she leaned down and gave him a gentle hug.

"I love you too," he said. He then watched with great relief as she did what he had asked her to do and began to carefully make her way back out of the maze. Once she had reached safety with Sam and Deeks, he smiled, so grateful that they were doing as he had asked.

"I love you," Kensi repeated, her eyes filled with tears as she quickly dressed and gathered her things together.

Sam stared at his partner, his eyes filled with intense sadness. "G…I…" He didn't want to leave him, couldn't bear the thought of what might possibly happen. "Why didn't you let her untie you?"

Callen shook his head. "There's no way I can do what she did, big guy," he said quietly. "I'm going to need help just to stand up…you can come and help me when this is over with, okay?"

Sam nodded his head, but Callen could see his partner was having a hard time keeping it together. "You did everything you could, Sam," he whispered. "I love you. If…if this doesn't go the way we want it to…tell Hetty…well, you know how I feel…You'll know what to say to her and to the wonder twins." He inhaled deeply and shakily exhaled. "You guys better leave. Let's just get this over with…"

"Alright, G…" Sam said, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. "You know…you know…" He swallowed hard not able to continue.

"I do know, Sam…" Callen said, solemnly. "You're my brother…always will be…"

Sam pounded his chest with his fist and then began walking slowly away, backwards, refusing to take his eyes off his partner. Kensi was openly crying. Deeks kept his arm around her as they walked, trying to keep his own emotions under wrap. Their nerves were heightened, every muscle in their bodies tensed in anticipation of a possible impending explosion that would tell them that this time, Callen really was dead.

xxxxx

Callen watched as his friends walked away, but Sam kept his eyes focused on him. It made him feel somewhat better that if he was to leave this world now, Sam's face would be the last thing he'd see. Once they were far enough away, he focused on what he had to do. His breathing grew faster and heavier as he tried to get up the nerve to do it. He didn't want to die, but he felt like he'd been given no choice in the matter. He slowly began to lift his leg as he stared back at Sam who was now on the other end of the clearing. Finally, with a fast and jerky movement, he forced his leg roughly against the wire, then looked up at the sky and said a silent thank you when nothing happened.

xxxxx

Bart watched the small black and white screen, fascinated by what he had seen. "Very nice, Agent Blye," he said, nodding in approval. "It seems she saved your ass, Agent Callen. You should be very grateful indeed."

"I can't believe she managed to get through that and disarm it," Michael said, watching in dismay.

"It's fine, Michael. Really it is," Bart said with a reassuring smile. This at least shows me that they're worth my time and maybe they will prove to be a challenge after all. Also, the video surveillance you've set up throughout the forest is beyond reproach. I can't tell you how pleasing it is to me that I know where they are at all times and they think they're outwitting me in some way." He laughed uproariously.

"I'm just sorry that the trap wasn't successful," Michael said, his eyes downcast.

"Not to worry my boy. Agent Callen and his team will be taken care of, all in good time…all in good time."

xxxxx

"He did it," Sam was overjoyed as he took off across the clearing in a rush to get to his partner. When he got to the trap he pushed and kicked the wires down to the ground and was quickly at Callen's side. "You did it, buddy. You did it," he said as he began to untie the tight ropes binding his partner to the tree.

"I didn't do anything," Callen said. "It was all Kensi...I never would have gotten out of this if it wasn't for her. Well, maybe you provided a little bit of help as well," he said, smirking at his partner.

Sam finally got Callen freed. By this time, Kensi and Deeks had arrived and were standing close by, their eyes on the other set of partners. Sam watched as Callen slowly bent his legs at the knees grimacing at the stiffness and soreness he felt. He then painstakingly moved his arms. It was when he went to try to stand that he felt the stabbing pain shooting through his side and chest and he paled considerably. "What Is it?" Sam asked.

"Just my ribs," Callen gasped.

"Let me help you," Sam said as he leaned down and gently pulled Callen to his feet, then took him into his arms for a heartfelt but gentle hug. "You can't imagine how glad I am that you're okay, G," he whispered. "I really thought you were dead."

"I'm going to be fine," Callen said, forcing a smile as Sam continued to support him.

Kensi approached Callen and he reached for her. "I don't know how to thank you," he said as she embraced him.

"No thanks necessary," she said. "I'm just so happy we got to you."

"Me too, man," Deeks said, gently clapping Callen's shoulder. "You scared the life out of us."

"Let's get out of here," Sam stated. "It's getting late. We should try to find a place to spend the night. Deeks looked practically asleep on his feet. He was being unnaturally quiet and Sam knew that G wasn't in good shape either.

Sam gently put his arm around Callen as he took his first step and Callen's legs almost went out from under him. "Whoa, G," Sam said as he used both arms to catch and steady his partner. "Do you need to rest more before we head out?"

Callen shook his head. "No, I'm okay. Just give me a sec." He tried to steady himself, fighting against the weakness and rubbery feeling he felt in his legs. Finally, he felt strong enough to try again. "Okay…let's go." He tentatively took one step and then another. Eventually, he was able to go on with a slow, but relatively continuous pace, leaning heavily on Sam as he walked.

"Are you doing okay, Deeks?" Kensi asked. He hadn't said much, ever since she had made her way back out of the booby trap.

Deeks nodded. "I'm good, baby," he said with a faint smile. "Just a bit tired."

"I don't think we'll be going too far," she stated, trying to keep his spirits up. "I don't think Callen has it in him right now."

Deeks nodded. He understood where Callen was coming from. He really didn't really have it in him either.


	13. Chapter 13

"Sam, can we take a break?" Callen didn't like asking, nor did he like the slight tremor that was in his voice, but he thought if he took one more step he was going to face plant right onto the ground.

"Of course," Sam looked at his partner and saw that his complexion was very pale and his face was covered with perspiration. "I'm sorry, G," he said, realizing his friend was by no means up for hiking through the woods at the moment. He should have recognized it sooner.

"It's okay, Sam," Callen said somewhat breathlessly. "I'm all right." Exhausted, he sat down heavily on the ground.

Grateful for the break, Deeks immediately did the same. His shoulder felt like it was being burned with a red hot poker. He was pretty sure whatever infection was festering in there was getting worse.

"I wish we could find something to eat." Kensi voiced the thought that all of them had had at one time or another over the past day.

"So do I," said Sam. He was unhappy that they hadn't found anything to eat in the woods. He had thought they would have come across something by now, but luck didn't seem to be with them in that regard. Actually, luck wasn't with them in any regard except for the fact that they had water. He didn't even want to think about where they would be if they didn't have that. "G? Here drink this." Sam passed his canteen over to Callen and watched as he gulped down some of the cool liquid. "Slow down," he said quietly. "There's plenty there."

"So what's our next move, Sam?" Kensi asked.

Sam shrugged. "I don't really know, just keep walking, I guess." He cast a thoughtful look at his partner and Deeks and realized neither man was in particularly good shape for whatever travels laid ahead. "But for now, I think we should just stay here for the night."

Kensi nodded and Deeks breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He knew they really ought to keep moving, but he also knew that he wasn't capable of walking much further and from the looks of Callen, he was even less capable.

"Hey Deeks?" Sam said. "While we're here, I'd like to take a look at your shoulder."

"Yeah…okay…" Deeks said reluctantly. He hated having Sam poke and prod at him, but knew if he kicked up a fuss that he would only serve to draw more attention to himself and his bullet wound. He didn't want to worry his teammates, especially Kensi, any more than he had to.

Sam went over to him and gently removed the bandage and then the dressing. He didn't change his expression as he silently rinsed the wound and then redressed and bandaged it.

"Well?" Deeks asked as both he and Kensi watched Sam carefully. "Come on, man, saying nothing makes me more nervous than if you had a horrified look on your face."

"It's infected," Sam stated, "but it doesn't look too bad…"

"Yet," Deeks finished for him.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Deeks," Sam said as he felt Deeks' forehead. Deeks rolled his eyes when Sam remained quiet once again. "I'm assuming if I didn't have a fever you'd say so."

"It's hard to tell," Sam fibbed.

"Well, I don't feel like I'm burning up or anything so it can't be that bad," Deeks said. The worst thing was just the incessant pain of his shoulder. He wished the bullet had gone right through. It would have been easier to deal with.

Sam sighed as he glanced over at his partner who had somehow managed to fall asleep sitting up. That was definitely not an ordinary occurrence for G. He went over to him and gently lowered him to the ground so that he was lying in a more comfortable position. He then covered him with a blanket. "Get some sleep, buddy," he said softly.

xxxxx

Sam silently sat, with his back resting against a tree, as he watched his partner sleep. Every so often, Callen would moan or whimper, telling Sam that he was in pain, even in his sleep. He sighed in frustration, wishing he had some kind of a pain killer he could give him so he could have rest more peacefully. He had told G he'd wake him to take a night watch shift, but he had no intention of doing so. He and Kensi had already privately discussed that they would split the night between the two of them.

"I don't think he's going anywhere," Deeks said quietly as he came up to Sam and sat down on the ground next to him. "Does he know you watch him sleep?"

"Come on, Deeks. It's not a regular occurrence. I just…"

"You're making sure that he's okay," Deeks stated. "I get it." He'd watched Kensi sleep plenty of times in his life as well.

Sam shook his head, his eyes filled with emotion as he turned away from his partner to look at Deeks. "I don't think you do get it, Deeks…not really…" he began. "When Michelle was killed, I used to wish and hope and pray every day that she would miraculously return, that I would just wake up and it would have all been just a bad dream…but that never happened."

Sam had a faraway look in his eyes as he went on. "There are so many little things I miss…a certain look, her laugh, how she was with the kids… She was so loving…so…" He sighed, lost in the moment and his memories before going on. "She was everything to me… There are so many everyday things you don't really think about, until they're gone and you realize you won't ever get to experience them again. And then, to have thought I lost G too… It was just too much. He's my best friend…my brother… I'm not sure how I would have gotten through it…I don't think I could have. Getting him back, when I was certain he was dead. It's my miracle, Deeks. I just…I can't let anything happen to him. He  ** _has_**  to be okay."

"He will be okay, Sam," Deeks said earnestly. "We'll do everything we can to make sure we all get out of this."

Sam nodded and the two men sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Deeks now found his own eyes on Callen too. He smiled to himself, knowing how much Callen would hate this if he knew.

"And how are you doing?" Sam asked turning his eyes towards the younger detective. "Why aren't you asleep over there with Kensi?"

Deeks shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Because?"

"There really doesn't have to be a reason, Sam, does there?" he asked. "Sometimes you just aren't able to sleep. You've got to admit, it was a pretty stressful day…it could have ended so badly…" Deeks looked over at Kensi and thanked God that it had ended as it had. Kensi had put her life on the line and saved Callen.

"You're right…" Sam looked over at Kensi too, glad that she seemed to be peacefully asleep. It was the least she deserved for what she had done earlier that day. "She's a brave, strong woman, Deeks," he said. "You're a lucky man."

"Don't I know it," Deeks said gruffly, a fond smile on his lips.

"I owe her…" Sam said. "I owe her big time for what she did for G."

"You don't owe anyone, Sam. She'd kick your butt if she heard you talking like that," Deeks said softly. "You know how she feels about Callen. He's like a big brother to her. Both of you are. You know she'd risk her life a hundred times over for either of you, any time, any place, the same as you would for her."

Sam nodded. "I do know that."

"I guess I'm going to try again to get some sleep," Deeks said. He really wasn't feeling all that great, but there was nothing Sam could do about it anyway. "Wake me when you want to get some rest."

"I will," Sam said with a nod, even though he had no intention of doing so. Deeks needed to sleep, whether or not he believed it. He just hoped he'd be able to find the sleep that had been eluding him so far. "And Deeks?"

"Yeah?"

"Just…don't tell him about this, okay?" Sam said, a touch of pleading in his voice. "It would just weird him out and…"

"He'll never hear it from me, man, I promise," Deeks replied solemnly. "Good night, Sam."

"Good night, Deeks…"

xxxxx

Kensi's eyes kept moving back and forth from Callen to Deeks. Sam had never tried to wake her, but she had awoken on her own at around 3 a.m. and insisted he get some sleep. Deeks finally seemed to be sleeping somewhat peacefully, at least. Callen, on the other hand, appeared to be anything but peaceful. He was tossing and turning and then he started periodically coughing which alarmed Kensi. Finally he awoke and sat up, his eyes looking a little bit dazed. "Callen?" Kensi said, watching him closely. "Are you okay?"

He turned towards her a little bit sluggishly. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

"He's right there," Kensi said, pointing to where Sam lay sleeping. "Do you need him?"

Callen shook his head as he pulled the ends of the blanket tighter against his body. "No…I…" He buried his mouth into his sleeve as he started to cough. "I don't need him." He reached for his canteen and thirstily began to drink. "How's Deeks?" he asked.

"He's hanging in there…How are you?" Kensi asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"I'll be all right," he answered.

"You really ought to try to rest," Kensi said. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day…"

"All the days are long out here," Callen said dejectedly. He knew he sounded like a child, but he couldn't seem to help it. He didn't feel well at all and the dark shadows surrounding them only served to contribute to his feeling of foreboding.

"Callen just lie down, okay?" Kensi pleaded softly. "You really need to sleep."

"It's just going to make the morning come faster," Callen said, sounding drained, but he finally did what Kensi asked and laid back down on the ground, trying to make himself at least semi-comfortable. Kensi kept a close eye on him until he fell back to sleep and then she continued watching over him and Deeks as she tried to think of some possible way for them to get out of the mess they were in, before the consequences became even more dire…


	14. Chapter 14

"Hetty?" Eric called softly to the operations manager who was asleep on the sofa by the bullpen. It was 2 a.m. and she hadn't been home in days, neither had Eric or Nell. They'd been consumed with worry, desperately using all their available resources as they tried to get something, some clue to tell them where their missing team members had been taken. "Hetty?" he called again louder when she didn't respond to his first call. Finally, Hetty began to stir.

"Eric?" she asked as she slowly sat up then reached for her glasses which were beside her on the sofa. Some days she felt even older than her years, if that was possible. "What is it? Has something happened?"

"We received another email," he said solemnly. "You'd better come and take a look."

Hetty didn't ask, but she knew that this newest email would not be good. She followed Eric up to Ops and forced a tight smile at Nell as she waited for Eric to project the image on the big screen. She gasped softly when she saw the first picture of Callen gagged and tied to a tree. There was bold, black lettering across the picture which said 'Agent Callen is waiting for you.' The next picture was even worse, displaying Callen still bound and gagged, but this time surrounded by a mazelike network of wires. The lettering on this one only said 'kaboom.' "Is this what I think it is?" she asked.

"It's all attached to an explosive device, Hetty," Eric said as he shook his head. "It doesn't look good…"

"Bugger," Hetty said, her expression grim. "Where are the others? Why is he alone? There are only these two photos?"

Eric nodded in response to her last question, knowing there were no answers to her first two.

Hetty had a terrible feeling of foreboding. Had something tragic already happened to the rest of the team? "Can you get anything from this at all, Eric?" she asked. "Please tell me there's something here."

"It looks like he's just out in the middle of nowhere, Hetty," Eric said. "I don't think there's any way for us to tell where he is."

Hetty found that she was unable to tear her own eyes away from Callen's. She couldn't begin to imagine what he had been going through when these photographs were taken and wondered if he was even still alive.

Eric and Nell stared at the picture closely as Eric began to zoom in closer. They tried to focus on the explosive device and not to be distracted by their emotions, which was not an easy task. After a couple of minutes, Eric noticed a tiny rectangular plate with a silver bolt of lightning engraved onto it, which was attached to the device. "I know that marking" he said softly as he stared at it.

"Eric?" Nell questioned, looking at him hopefully.

"I read about him…there was an article in a computer magazine. He calls himself The Flash. He's a hot shot techie who got involved in the explosives industry where he made quite the name for himself. He's a cocky little son of a gun…"

"What's his name?" Hetty demanded, staring up at her tech operator.

Eric thought for a few moments before coming up with it. "Shaughnessy," he said. "Michael Shaughnessy."

Hetty nodded. Finally a breadcrumb. Hopefully, it would lead them somewhere. "Find him," she said to Eric and Nell. "Find this Michael Shaughnessy as soon as you can. Maybe he can tell us what we need to know."

xxxxx

"Good morning, Kensi," Sam said softly as he came over to where Kensi had stationed herself and sat down next to her.

"Good morning, Sam," Kensi said. She was careful to keep her voice down as well, as Callen and Deeks both appeared to still be asleep.

"What is it?" Sam asked, easily able to tell from her expression that she was unhappy, not that there was anything to actually be happy about with their current situation.

Kensi shook her head slowly. "I just don't know how we're going to keep this up, Sam," she said. "For all we know, we're walking further into the wilderness. We have no clue where we are and I don't think Callen and Deeks are going to be able to keep going. They were barely able to do so yesterday and we didn't even go very far…"

Sam sighed. He knew that Kensi was right, but he wasn't really sure what the solution was. "Maybe we should try to take a stand," he said thoughtfully after a long silence. "Just find somewhere with some kind of cover and wait them out?" He doubted their chances would be very good, but with Deeks and Callen in poor shape, their choices were becoming limited.

Kensi nodded. "Maybe we'd be able to take enough of them down to make a fight of it."

Sam nodded. "All right…we'll make that our objective then. We'll try to find somewhere where we can take cover. We'll veer away from the river and start going in an eastward direction."

"Something else I think you should know," Kensi said, her gaze serious as she turned to Sam. "I think Callen's getting sick. He was coughing a lot during the night and he just seemed really miserable, not at all like himself."

Sam ran his hand over his face, not surprised to hear what Kensi had to say but dismayed to hear it just the same. "I'm going to take the canteens over to the river to refill them. We'll let them sleep a little bit longer then we'll have to get moving."

Kensi nodded, watching as Sam collected the canteens. He was just about to start in the direction of the river when the gunshot sounded, hitting one of the canteens squarely, causing Sam to drop them. Callen and Deeks awoke immediately. Kensi aimed her rifle, searching for the unseen enemy as Sam grabbed the other weapon.

"I'd put your weapons down if I were you," Bart's voice sounded from somewhere behind the thick brush of the forest. "You're totally surrounded and as you can see from my man, Gabe's expert shot, marksmanship is not going to be a problem. He could put bullets through each of your heads quicker than you can say BOO! Put the guns down now or Gabe will demonstrate his finesse by putting a bullet right between Agent Callen's eyes."

Kensi gave Sam a questioning look and he nodded in disgust as he put his own weapon down on the ground. Kensi then followed suit and put her rifle down as Bart came out from behind the trees, flanked by armed men who suddenly seemed to be everywhere. Bart then began to clap, a wide smile on his face as one of his men came over to retrieve their rifles. "I've been waiting for the chance to commend you, Agent Blye on a job well done. Your skillful maneuvering of the explosive wires that surrounded your unfortunate team leader far exceeded anything I could have expected. It was also the only real impressive feat I've witnessed from your team throughout this game, which frankly, has become somewhat of a debacle."

"How did you even see her?" Deeks asked.

"Cameras, Detective Deeks, cameras." Bart waved his arm in an upward, expansive gesture towards the trees. "An expensive, high tech system of cameras which have allowed me to watch most of the moves you've made. If you had been a bit less predictable, went away from the river or done something which used your imaginations, you'd have been out of the range of the cameras. Unfortunately though, you remained boring and exceedingly predictable in your uncreative approach to this whole game."

"You want creativity?" Sam growled. "I'll give you creativity. One-on-one, right now, you versus me. No weapons. Just man versus man. I'll twist your body in ways you never thought possible."

"Ah… a brute strength approach. So sorry, but that's not what I'm about, Agent Hanna."

"That's not what you're about?" Sam asked, "But yet you had no problem with shooting at us or trying to blow my partner up?"

Bart nodded, a bright smile on his face. "Yes, that's very true, but unfortunately, the game, as it was, has reached its conclusion."

The team members exchanged grim looks, realizing that they were totally at the mercy of Bart and his men and most likely had reached the end of their rope.

"No need to look so despairing," Bart said. "As game master, I'm allowed to change the rules of the game at any time, which is exactly what I've done. So, take heart, a whole new phase of the game is about to begin. I can just feel the excitement in the air!"

"You're a psycho," Callen said. However, immediately after speaking, he was overcome by a fit of coughing which left him somewhat breathless.

Bart shook his head, oozing with false sympathy. "I guess that romp in the river didn't do you any favors, did it, Agent Callen? Did the poor widdle agent catch a widdle cold?"

"Why don't you leave him alone?" Sam asked, seething. "Why don't you pick on me, someone who isn't hurt and sick?"

"You seem to be very, very angry today," Agent Hanna." Bart turned his attention away from Callen and moved it onto Sam. "I think it may be because you missed breakfast? After all, it is the most important meal of the day. Thus, I'm going to give you the very first turn in our new game. Perhaps you've heard of it or even played it before? It's called, 'Would You Rather?'"

"We've had enough of you and your games," Sam stated.

"Well…non-participants will be punished quite severely," Bart said. "Bullets through their brains to be exact. A very messy business. You probably wouldn't like it and the cleanup is a bitch."

"You're really sick," Deeks said in disgust.

"Don't be jealous, Detective Deeks. You will get your chance to take a turn," Bart said. "So, Agent Hanna, shall we begin? We'll start nice and easy to get our game off to a good start." Sam said nothing so Bart went on. "So, would you rather that you and your partner get to eat a nice breakfast? Or, should I give the privilege to Detective Deeks and Agent Blye and you and Agent Callen will get nothing?"

Sam seemed like he was about to speak, but then looked at Callen and appeared undecided.

"I'm not hungry, Sam," Callen stated, knowing his partner would feel guilty if he couldn't eat and he was determined to help him out.

"Neither are we," Deeks said and Kensi nodded in agreement.

"You and Callen take the food," Kensi said.

"Time's up!" Bart called out. "Agent Hanna, who do you choose?"

"Kensi and Deeks," Sam stated.

"Ryan, bring the food over here," Bart ordered. "All of you, please take a seat."

The team sat down as Ryan came over with a zipper-up cooler. He then put a red and white checkered cloth on the ground and began to spread out an assortment of muffins, pastries, small boxes of cereal, fruit, milk and orange juice. Callen immediately turned his head away, figuring if he didn't have to see the food, it wouldn't seem so damn tempting. In spite of the pain he was in, he was still almost unbearably hungry.

"Uh, uh, uh, Agent Callen," Bart said. "You need to watch the detective and Agent Blye enjoy their breakfast. It would be very rude not to and might result in unpleasant circumstances for them if you don't."

"So, I guess you're pretty much telling us what will happen if we don't eat?" Kensi asked.

"Bright and beautiful! You're a very lucky man to have won such a prize, Detective Deeks. I'm not really sure how you accomplished it, but…" Bart paused before continuing. "In any case, I digress…If you don't eat, Agents Callen and Hanna will be punished."

"Just eat, guys," Sam said. "Pretend we're not here."

"I bet a drink of cold, delicious orange juice would taste really good right now, wouldn't it, Agent Callen?" Bart teased. "Liquid vitamin C…just the thing for that cold of yours. Too bad your partner didn't take your health and well-being into account when he made his decision."

"Will you shut the hell up?" Deeks yelled after barely managing to choke down a piece of a blueberry muffin. He was feverish and didn't feel like eating at all. Although he knew Kensi was hungry, he really wished Sam had just kept the breakfast for himself and Callen.

"Would you like a demonstration of what will happen if you continue to defy me?" Bart asked, no longer appearing amused. His eyes were cold and dark with anger.

"No, no, I'm sorry," Deeks said quickly, looking apologetically at Sam and Callen. He poured some cereal into a bowl and then added some milk. He then forced himself to take a spoonful, his eyes filled with regret. Kensi began to munch on some grapes.

"Very good, Detective. It's good to see a nice breakfast appreciated. Too bad your whole team can't partake of it."

None of the team members responded to Bart's taunts and continued to do as they had been instructed. Finally, mercifully for all of them, Kensi and Deeks finished up and put down their utensils. "Nicely done," Bart said, satisfied that they had eaten their fill. "Now we are going to go to where we've established a new campsite and there, our little game will continue. Come along and don't dawdle. Slackers will be punished."

Surrounded by gunmen, the team members got to their feet. Callen and Deeks moved slowly and were obviously struggling as the team moved on to whatever the next part of Bart's twisted game would be.


	15. Chapter 15

"Hetty!" Eric quickly strode into Hetty's office with Nell following right behind him. "We've found something…well someone. We think we know where Shaughnessy is. He works at a private lab, right here in Los Angeles."

"Well that is very fortuitous indeed," Hetty said. "The two of you get yourselves ready, we're going to go to the lab immediately. Hopefully, Mr. Shaughnessy will be there and we can bring him to the boathouse for questioning. He's the most promising lead we have."

"Get ready?" Eric asked, looking at Hetty in confusion.

"Arm yourselves, Mr. Beale," Hetty explained, impatiently.

"Really?" Eric asked, looking excited.

"It's just a precaution," Hetty said. "I highly doubt we're going to be shooting up the lab. Now hurry along, we need to get a move on."

xxxxx

A front desk receptionist greeted Hetty, Nell and Eric as they entered the laboratory. "Can I help you?" she asked, peering at them from behind her wide-framed glasses.

"We're here to see Mr. Shaughnessy…uh, about some funding," Hetty said. "My name is Delilah Fraser and these are my associates, Donald Watson and Lucy Parks.

"I'll see if he can speak with you," the receptionist said in a clipped tone as she stood up from behind her desk and then walked down the hallway, her heels clicking loudly on the floor.

"Why did you give us aliases?" Eric whispered after the receptionist was out of earshot.

"Because I wasn't sure if Bart might have mentioned me to Mr. Shaughnessy," Hetty explained. "And once I gave myself an alias, I figured I might as well give them to the two of you as well."

"Donald Watson…" Eric said, testing the name out. "I like it. So Hetty, what was it about me that made you decide on that particular name?"

Hetty shook her head in exasperation. "I hardly think that is the point," Mr. Beale," she said.

Just then, they heard the clicking of heels once again as the receptionist walked toward them from the hallway. "Mr. Shaughnessy will be happy to speak with you," she said. "Please follow me." She then walked back down the corridor as Hetty, Eric and Nell followed along. She opened a door and led them into a conference room with a large table surrounded by cushioned leather chairs. "Have a seat. Mr. Shaughnessy will be with you in a few moments."

After approximately five minutes, Shaughnessy entered the room. "Hello, I'm Michael Shaughnessy," he said, offering his hand to the three of them. "Ms. Russell told me you're interested in funding some of my research?"

Hetty stood up and pulled out her badge from her purse. "Actually, I'm interested in my missing agents. I understand you built a maze of explosives around one of them?"

Michael immediately paled. "I…I don't know what you're talking about, lady," he said. He reached for the telephone on the conference room table and dialed zero. "Ms. Russell? Can you please have Security come to the conference room right away? I need them to escort our visitors from the premises." He hung up the phone, a twisted smile on his face. "They'll be right here."

"Good." Hetty smiled back at him. "When I explain who we are and why we're here, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to allow us to escort you for questioning. And I'd think long and hard about what you're going to say, because you're going to be a very sorry young man if you don't come up with some satisfactory answers."

xxxxx

The team slowly walked along with Sam helping Callen and Kensi doing her best to help Deeks, although he didn't really want to accept her help. Luckily, for both men, the campsite wasn't too far from where they had spent the night. It was set up much like the first campsite they had been to and there was a small pond a short distance from where the tents and campfire were. Callen slumped to the ground and wrapped the blanket tightly around him. Deeks did the same, minus the blanket. He was feeling very hot and uncomfortable.

"Sam? Can I have some water?" Callen asked.

Sam nodded. "Sure G," he said as he passed a canteen to his partner. However, Bart came over and intercepted him. "Uh, uh, uh," he said as he yanked the canteen out of Callen's hands. "This, my friend, is the next little prize in our game, along with blankets. He then unceremoniously took the blanket away from Callen as well. "You don't get these unless you're chosen, Agent Callen."

"Really?" Sam asked with a look of disgust on his face.

"It's all right, Sam," Callen said, trying very hard not to shiver. He was freezing.

"No, it's not really all right at all," Sam said venomously. "It's pretty twisted what you're doing here," he said, directing his words to Bart. "At the very least, why don't you focus your sick games on me and not on members of our team who are sick?"

"I think I have been most hospitable, Agent Hanna," Bart said with a condescending smile. "You had the chance to give your partner a fine breakfast complete with beverages. You chose to give it to Agent Blye and Detective Deeks. That's on you, not me."

"I knew you should have just kept the damn breakfast," Deeks muttered. He hadn't wanted the stupid food to begin with and now he just had to feel guilty every time he looked at Callen because he had basically taken food out of his mouth.

"In any case, redemption could be in your future, Agent Hanna," Bart said happily. "Perhaps this next game will go your way. It's your turn, Agent Blye. It's a two part question because it's so very, very easy. You'll be wondering how on earth I could be so kind."

"That's doubtful," Deeks said, glaring at him.

"You'd be wise to watch your mouth, Detective," Bart said. "You might not like the consequences if you don't."

"I don't like the consequences either way," Deeks retorted.

"Deeks," Kensi cautioned softly. "I don't think we need to antagonize him any more right now."

"Listen to your girlfriend," Bart said. "She seems to have a lot more going on upstairs than you do."

"You son of a bitch." With a burst of adrenaline, Deeks sprung at Bart who was surprised by the move and he quickly moved out of the way.

"Burke!" Bart called and the muscular man was at his side in an instant. Burke then punched Deeks visciously in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Deeks!" Kensi said, going to his side and facing Burke with a glare. "Leave him alone." Both Burke and Bart started to laugh.

"You better watch yourself, little lady," Burke said, leering at Kensi. "I just might take you into one of those tents over there and show you what a real man has to offer."

"Really?!" Deeks asked angrily, starting to make a move towards Burke, but Sam quickly grabbed him.

"Deeks, settle down," Sam warned. "This isn't helping."

"Well, this is all quite amusing, but we really do need to get on with the game," Bart said. "Are you ready Agent Blye?"

"Yes, I'm ready," Kensi said, giving another cautionary look in Deeks' direction.

"Okay then, would you rather have blankets for you and Detective Deeks or give them up to Agent Hanna and Agent Callen?" Kensi glanced at Deeks who quickly shook his head, but she had just been verifying the decision she had already made.

"Callen and Sam can have the blankets," Kensi stated.

Sam gave Kensi a grateful look as he wrapped a blanket around his shivering partner.

"And now, are you ready for part two?" Bart asked, smiling. "This one may be a wee bit tougher for you, so consider your options carefully. Would you rather that you and the detective are allowed to drink water or shall I give the privilege to Agents Hanna and Callen?"

Kensi appeared to be dismayed by the question. She looked at Deeks whose face was flushed and coated with perspiration. He was very obviously feverish and worsening. She then looked at Callen. He was pale and appeared to be in pain but he also seemed detached from what was going on around him. She then met Sam's eyes. "Deeks is running a fever…" she said, wanting to explain.

"G's thirsty," Sam said quietly.

"I don't want the water, Kensi," Deeks said quickly. "We had breakfast. We had juice. Give it to them."

"You have a fever, Deeks. You'll get dehydrated."

"I don't care," Deeks insisted. "Give the water to Callen."

"You need water, Deeks," Kensi said. "You're sick."

"He's not the only one," Sam muttered.

"How long does whoever I don't choose have to go without water?" Kensi asked, looking at Bart. "An hour, a day? What are we talking here?"

"Why indefinitely, of course," Bart said with a smile. "The losers will have no water indefinitely."

Kensi shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes on Callen. She couldn't withhold water from Deeks when he was so sick. She just couldn't do it. "Deeks and I will take the water," she said, hanging her head.

The look Sam gave her made her feel like she had committed an immoral act. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Very good!" Bart said, looking pleased at this development. "A selfish, but wise decision. Survival of the fittest."

"It's not survival of the fittest," Sam growled. "Letting Kensi and I have the water would be survival of the fittest. Why didn't you make that the challenge?" he asked. "Either Kensi and I or G and Deeks?"

"Why indeed, Agent Hanna," Bart asked. "What kind of a game would that be? The choice would be obvious, wouldn't it? This has much more drama, pitting partners against partners. Obviously, Agent Blye thinks her partner is more important than yours."

"That's not true!" Kensi blurted out. "Deeks is sick. He has an infection. He has to have water."

At that moment, Callen started to cough and Sam gave his partner a stricken look. "I'm sure glad that G's not sick," he said bitterly.

"Sam…I…" Kensi was already filled with remorse by her decision and she watched helplessly as Sam went over to sit beside his partner and put his arm around his shoulders.


	16. Chapter 16

"Are you all right, Sam?" Callen asked, his blue eyes fixed on his partner. Bart had left them alone a few minutes ago for a so-called 'intermission,' but Sam had yet to say a word.

"I'm fine, G," Sam said softly. "I'm just worried about you."

"You don't have to be," Callen said. "I drank some water during the night. I'm not in any danger from not drinking…" He sighed before going on, speaking slowly. "You can't blame Kensi for choosing Deeks. He was shot, he's running a fever…and she's in love with him. Why wouldn't she pick him? Bart is making sure this game isn't fair, Sam. No matter what choices we make, someone is going to be pissed off. You need to let it go."

Sam listened, but he didn't say anything in response.

"So, I'm guessing if the choice had been yours, you would have chosen differently?" Callen asked.

Sam nodded.

"Well then I'm glad you didn't get to choose, because I wouldn't have wanted you to. Kensi made the right decision. Fighting amongst ourselves is only going to make matters worse."

Sam still didn't respond to what Callen said. He just stared off into the distance as he wondered when the next shoe was going to drop.

Callen sighed in frustration when his partner wouldn't talk to him. He then underwent a coughing fit and wrapped his arms around his ribs trying to ease the pain, even just a little bit.

xxxxx

"You should have just let them have it, Kens," Deeks said softly as he wiped some of her tears away with his fingertips. "This isn't worth the damn water."

"No I shouldn't have," Kensi said, shaking her head. "Why is Callen any more entitled to water than you are? He's not." She sighed in frustration. Callen wasn't the one she was upset with. She placed her hand on Deeks' forehead and then shook her head. "I think your temperature is rising."

"I'll be okay."

"How can you even say that?" she asked. "This…this guy is just a psychopath. Who knows what he's going to ask us to do next? Whose head would you rather chop off, Callen's or Sam's?"

Deeks couldn't help but chuckle in spite of the direness of their situation. "Don't say that too loud. You don't want to give him any more ideas."

"He seems to be coming up with plenty of them on his own," Kensi said, morosely. "He doesn't need my help."

"Come on, baby…don't let him get you down. Come here." He beckoned her with his uninjured arm and she crept closer to him as Deeks wrapped his arm around her. "Everything's going to be okay," he said softly. "I promise."

Kensi remained silent. In her heart, she knew this was one promise he might not be able to keep.

xxxxx

The sound of thunder startled the four agents as a light sprinkle began to fall. "Are you kidding me?" Sam asked. Someone up there really didn't like them very much.

Bart came back to them and looked curiously at the gap that had occurred with the team members split into pairs and not sitting with each other. "Uh oh…is there trouble in paradise?" he asked with a smirk. "I had thought it would be a little bit more difficult to break up your team than that."

"You haven't broken up anything," Callen retorted. "Sam and I were just giving Kensi and Deeks some time to themselves." He stood up, wincing as he did so, and walked over to Kensi and Deeks, then sat down beside them. Sam reluctantly followed him a few moments later.

Well, due to the impending storm, it's time for just a quick question before we take a longer break this time. "Your turn, Agent Callen," Bart said turning toward him with a smile. "Since we're supposed to get quite the storm system over the next hour or two, I'm willing to let you and Agent Hanna have that tent over there to take shelter. Who will accompany you, Agent Blye or Detective Deeks?"

"Take Kensi with you, Callen," Deeks demanded.

"I'm not going to melt, Callen," Kensi said. "You know Deeks is sick. He can't be out in a storm."

"What about me?" Callen asked. "Can I take their place?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, G?" Sam bellowed, any attempt at trying to keep calm, lost. "You're already coughing your fool head off. Are you just begging for that cold to turn into pneumonia?"

"That's not the condition, Agent Callen," Bart said. "Although the idea of you, as your partner said, coughing your fool head off in a rainstorm does have its merit."

Callen sighed as he looked at the two younger team members. He then glanced at his partner who looked away from him. Evidently, he wasn't going to be of any help. "I guess… Deeks should stay inside," he said, giving Kensi an apologetic look, but she smiled at him in return.

"Thank you, Callen," Kensi said.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Deeks said, glaring at Callen. "Now when Kensi catches pneumonia I'll know who to blame."

"I'm not going to catch pneumonia, Deeks," Kensi said. "It's not that cold out right now. I'll be fine." She glanced at Callen who was now looking uncertain. "Don't worry. You made the right decision."

"You can take the tent right there," Bart said, pointing at the closest one to where they were. He then smirked at Deeks. "You can keep an eye on your sweetie pie the whole time."

"How long does she have to stay outside?" Deeks asked.

"An hour or two…I'll let you know." Bart smiled cheerily as the rain started to come down more heavily. "You boys better get inside. You wouldn't want to get wet," he said laughing. He gave a mock salute to the eight armed men guarding the area, all of them covered in protective raingear, and headed for his own tent. Callen and Sam went into the tent as Deeks looked at Kensi sadly.

"I can't believe he did that," Deeks said.

"Stop that," Kensi admonished gently, putting her hand on his cheek. "Please, Deeks…please go inside, for me. What good does it do for us both to stay out here?"

He stared at her for a long moment but finally nodded. "All right…I'll be watching you."

Kensi gave him a quick kiss. "Get inside," she whispered, smiling in satisfaction when he finally did as she asked.

xxxxx

Deeks walked into the tent and sat down on top of a rolled up sleeping bag. He shot Callen a bit of a dirty look which Callen ignored and then proceeded to keep a vigil over his partner.

"What's your problem?" Sam asked Deeks, after a few long moments of silence.

"I don't have a problem," Deeks stated. "What's yours?"

"Cut it out, both of you," Callen demanded. "That's an order."

"Really?" Deeks gave Callen an incredulous look. "We're not on duty. You can't give us orders."

"Technically, we are on duty, Deeks," Callen replied. "And you'd be wise to do what I say."

Deeks rolled his eyes. "Or what?"

"He is the leader of this so-called team," Sam said. "And he's right, you do need to listen to him."

"It's not like he's been leading us particularly well as of late…Anyhow, you're not listening to him either," Deeks said, squaring off against Sam. "You're just pissed because of the whole water situation. Well, Callen can go outside now and drink the raindrops if he's thirsty."

"You know, I did offer to take your places," Callen said, stung by the remark about his leadership abilities, or rather lack thereof. Now, he was just as fed up as the other two men were. "It's not my fault he wouldn't allow it."

"Well, no offense G, but that was a pretty stupid thing to say on your part anyhow," Sam said, momentarily turning away from Deeks to glare at his partner. "I don't know what you were thinking. Oh no, I do know what you were thinking. I have a bad cough. I think I'll go outside and sit in a rainstorm for an hour or two."

"You know what? screw you, Sam," Callen said, "and whatever, Deeks." He'd been about to say screw you too, Deeks, but didn't know if it was Deeks' fever talking so he didn't say it. However, it was obvious that Deeks' feelings were pretty real behind the fever. He didn't really know what he was expected to do, but now he was feeling guilty that he hadn't done it anyway. "I've had about enough of this. If you two want to fight, go ahead. Just keep me out of it. I'm done." He went over to the far corner of the tent and sat down, then drew his knees up to his chest and buried his head, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket. The temperature had dropped with the rain and he was freezing and feeling guilty about Kensi being out there. "And if either of you has any wonderful leadership ideas that will get us out of this, feel free to share them."

xxxxx

Kensi alternated between sitting on a flat rock that was outside the tent, and pacing around through the campsite, taking care not to stray out of Deeks' field of vision. She heard her teammates bickering, but that seemed to end after Callen went off on the other two men. She sighed heavily. This was definitely not good. At least no one out here seemed to have a problem with her walking around which kept her a little bit warmer. Once she had been out in the rain for a while, it didn't see as warm as it had seemed earlier. She also had to contend with the leers and rude kissing noises from Bart's men. They were all just a pack of animals.

xxxxx

Deeks and Sam remained silent after Callen's outburst, neither of them making any gestures either towards each other or towards Callen. There was no talking whatsoever until Kensi was finally allowed inside, an hour and a half later. "Come here, baby," Deeks said, opening up his arms to her.

"I don't want to get you all wet, Deeks," she said.

"It's the only way you're going to be able to warm up, SINCE YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY BLANKETS." Deeks said loudly, glaring over at Sam.

"Deeks, don't," Kensi pleaded, shaking her head.

"Bart didn't say anything about the sleeping bags," Sam stated. Why doesn't she use one of them?" He grabbed one by the wall of the tent and tossed it over to her.

"Thanks, Sam," Kensi said with a smile which Sam did not return. "So, it's going to be like this," she murmured as she got into the sleeping bag. She badly wanted to take off her wet clothes so they could dry, but she didn't dare, not knowing when the game play would begin again. She glanced over at Callen and couldn't tell from his position whether he was asleep or awake. "So…what were you three arguing about earlier?" she asked Deeks after she had warmed up a bit.

"So you heard that?" he asked. "Callen was just trying to order us around."

"Oh…" Kensi thought about that for a few moments, a little confused as to what he could have been ordering them to do. She finally decided to ask. "What kind of orders?"

Deeks shrugged. "Just the usual stuff, Kens…you know how he is…"

"Not really, I…" Kensi looked at Deeks more closely, realizing how flushed he was. She then tentatively reached out to touch his cheek. He really was burning up. "Deeks…why don't you lie down and get some rest?" she asked softly.

Deeks shook his head. "I don't really feel like sleeping."

"I know you don't," Kensi persisted gently, "but you really need to. It might help you feel better."

Deeks looked at her, knowing deep inside that nothing was really going to help him until they had gotten away. He didn't really want to cause her any additional stress though so he nodded as he unrolled the sleeping bag he had been sitting on and put it next to hers. He then stretched out beside Kensi and fell asleep.

xxxxx

Sam watched as Kensi managed to get Deeks to go to sleep. He knew that was probably the best thing for him, but it wasn't a cure-all by any means. They somehow needed to find a way out of this predicament, but that didn't seem very likely unless things changed radically. He suspected the little games they were playing were only going to get worse and that wouldn't be good for any of them. They were already at each other's throats. He glanced over at Callen who basically had remained motionless since his earlier rant. He sighed heavily then walked over to him and sat down. Callen still didn't move. "G?" he said softly. Nothing. "Come on, man…I'm sorry." He put his hand on his partner's back and patted it gently.

Callen lifted his head and stared at his partner. "You think I'm stewing about what you said, Sam?" he asked. "You give yourself too much credit."

"What are you thinking about then?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, G…talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," Callen stated. He shifted slightly and bit his lip as the pain in his ribs momentarily flared to a higher level. What he wouldn't give for some pain killers…some really good ones. At the moment, he was hungry, thirsty, in pain and not at all in the mood to talk to his partner or anyone else for that matter. "I'm going to try to sleep." It was the most effective way to get Sam to stop bugging him. He carefully got into his sleeping bag and managed to get himself into a lying position without too much increased pain. Then, with his back turned to his partner, he closed his eyes in an attempt to fall sleep and hopefully at least escape their situation in his dreams.


	17. Chapter 17

"Wakie, wakie!" Bart came into the tent, banging on a small tin pain with a fork. "Rise and shine, my lazy little prisoners. It's not even dark yet. You certainly shouldn't be sleeping. Look at you and Detective Deeks all snug in your little sleeping bags," he said to Kensi. "You see, you found a way out of your situation, after all. It doesn't even affect you that you can't have blankets. How about you, Agent Callen?" he asked. "Have you found a substitute for water?"

Callen only glared at Bart, not giving him an answer and Bart laughed uproariously. "I'll take that as a no!"

"Can't you ever just leave him alone?" Sam growled.

"Perhaps when he's earned it, Agent Hanna," Bart said amicably, "but right now, he hasn't earned a thing. Now, come along. Let's get outside for our next very important question!"

They walked outside and stood in a line formation as they waited for Bart to move on with the game. He grinned at them, then turned towards Deeks. "Detective Deeks, let's give you a turn, shall we?" This will effectively be the end of round one since you will have each had a turn. I'd say we should change things up a bit for your turn. Did you ever hear of the game Deal or no Deal?"

"Yeah, I've heard of it," Deeks said, his face expressionless.

"Well, this game is called Dollar or no Dollar! Clever, isn't it?" Bart asked laughing. "I just crack myself up."

"Yeah, you're a real hoot," Deeks said.

"So, in this game, you won't have to choose between your teammates. This will focus solely on…hmmm…" Bart turned to where Callen, Sam and Kensi were and began to recite, "Eenie, meenie, miney mo…" He stopped on Callen and began to shout. "Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner folks! Or in this case, possibly a loser. We'll have to see what develops. Agent Callen, come over here and join Detective Deeks."

Callen reluctantly walked over to Deeks keeping his arm tightly pressed against his side as he stood by Deeks' side and Deeks gave him an apologetic look.

At that point, Bart pulled a 50 dollar bill out of his pocket and showed it to the team. "We have here a 50 dollar bill. Now the object of the game is to either pick the hand with or without the bill in it, depending upon Agent Callen's choice.

"What?" Callen asked, looking utterly confused by whatever Bart was talking about.

Bart rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Really? And you're the team leader? Nepotism at its worst, folks. I don't know what Henrietta was thinking. So, Agent Callen, let's try again." Bart spoke slowly enunciating each word loudly and clearly. "I am going to put this bill in one of my hands. I need you to choose whether you want the good detective here to choose the empty hand or the hand with the bill in it to win the game."

"What does he get if he wins?" Callen asked.

You and he get off Scott free," Bart said. "The best of all possibilities."

"And if he loses?"

"Oh…I'm afraid you won't like that very much at all," Bart said, oozing false sympathy. "That would be very, very bad. If he loses, you both lose as he will have to shoot you."

"What?" Kensi gasped.

"No!" Sam shouted.

"Yes!" Bart chortled gleefully.

Deeks shook his head, looking shocked at what Bart wanted. "I…I can't shoot him," he said.

"Oh, I'm afraid that's not an option," Bart said, shaking his head sadly, "because if you lose and refuse to shoot him…let's just say your team will be two members short. You and Agent Callen will be playing the remainder of the games alone."

"Fine!" Callen spat out angrily. "So if we lose, where does he have to shoot me?"

"Good question," Bart said, nodding his approval. "Your four limbs are off limits. Other than that, anything goes! He can shoot you in the head, the neck, chest, abdomen, back. Hell he can shoot you in the ass for all I care. Just somewhere other than your arms or legs. So, for the win, do you want Detective Deeks to choose the empty hand or the hand with the 50 dollar bill in it?"

Callen considered the question for a few moments and then spoke. "The empty hand," he finally stated.

"Very good then!" Bart put his hands behind his back and started shuffling about. Callen was really hoping this wasn't some kind of trick, but he had a queasy feeling that the game was rigged and he was going to take a bullet in his butt. It was a painful prospect, not to mention humiliating.

Bart finished shuffling and held out his two closed fists to Deeks. Deeks stared at them uncertainly and then looked to Callen for guidance. "Do you have a preference?" he asked.

Callen shook his head. "Whatever you think," he said quietly. "And whatever happens…it's not your fault."

"This sucks," Deeks said. He had no desire to make this choice. Even if Callen didn't think it was his fault, he knew he would always blame himself. He also knew that no matter where he shot Callen, the chance of it going very wrong would be very good. He stared at Bart for a long moment and then chose the left hand. Bart smirked after Deeks made the choice and Deeks and Callen immediately prepared themselves for the worst, until Bart opened up his fist and it was empty.

"Nicely done, Detective Deeks," Bart said. "Now that's the way to play the game." He turned his attention to Callen. "You be sure to give him some kind of an extra little treat when you get home, Agent Callen," he said. "I mean if you get home…well…" He frowned exaggeratedly. "Well, let's face it, you probably won't get home at all. Maybe you should just pat his scruffy little head and tell him he's a good boy."

"So now what?" Callen asked, ignoring all of Bart's attempts to irritate him.

"Now it's dinner time for two of you and I guess watching time for the other two. Detective, Agent Blye. If you'll please join me for dinner."

"Why do we get dinner?" Kensi asked.

"Why are you even questioning it?" Bart replied. "If I were you, I would accept my generosity and not say another word about it. We have a special treat tonight, chicken, potatoes and vegetables. If I remember correctly, there will even be a chocolate cake for dessert and all the water you can drink."

"You're being cruel," Kensi said.

"And you're being ungrateful." Bart said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Can I trade off with someone?" Kensi asked.

Bart considered her request for a few moments and then nodded, a sly smile on his lips. "Yes, yes you can. You can trade off with Agent Hanna."

A look of dismay entered Kensi's eyes as she looked at Sam.

"No thanks," Sam said. "Kensi, just eat it."

"I already ate today, Sam…you haven't," Kensi looked at him pleadingly. "Please take it."

"She's right, Sam," Callen said. "Please do what she's asking."

Sam stared at his partner. "How can you even ask me to do that?" he asked.

"Because it's what you would want me to do, isn't it?" Callen asked. "I'm okay, Sam…please take the food. You don't know when you'll get the next chance to eat or drink again."

Sam looked from Kensi to Callen uncertainly. He was starved and very thirsty, but he didn't know if he could do it.

"Please Sam?" Kensi asked again. "I ate so much already today…"

"I just…" Every time he looked at Callen, his guilt increased tenfold.

"Sam…it will help you keep up your strength," Callen said. "I think that's pretty important right now, don't you?"

Sam considered what his partner was saying and then looked back at Kensi again. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

Kensi nodded quickly. "I'm very sure."

"Alright…thank you…"

"How about me?" Deeks asked, looking at Bart.

"How about you, what?" Bart asked, looking annoyed.

"Can I trade off too?"

"No, I fear it would give you much too much pleasure if I was to allow that. From what I've been able to gather from observing your condition, you don't want to eat. It gives you no pleasure whatsoever and it would likely give Agent Callen a great deal of pleasure if I was to allow him to eat or drink an ice cold glass of thirst quenching water. Mm…So refreshing… So, Detective Deeks, you will eat and drink and if you don't, someone will pay the consequences for your refusing to do so."

Deeks sighed as he gave Callen an apologetic look.

"It's okay, Deeks," Callen said. "Thanks for trying."

"So, Agent Hanna, Detective. Come along. We don't want the food to get cold."

Sam and Deeks followed Bart to the table and began to eat their dinner. Neither of them looked particularly happy, but it was obvious that Sam was enjoying the food a lot more than Deeks who was basically trying to force it down.

"You better not get sick, Detective," Bart admonished. "If you do, it will spoil my dinner entirely and I will have to take out my wrath on someone who is not joining us for dinner."

"I'm not going to get sick," Deeks said as he forced himself to chew on and swallow some of the chicken. He couldn't help but wish that Bart would choke on the damn food.

"I'm sorry about this, Callen," Kensi said as she looked over at him regretfully. "I had really hoped he would relent and let you eat or at least drink something. I know you're terribly thirsty."

"I'm okay, Kens," Callen said, smiling at her. He was pretty sure Bart had already decided there was no way he would be allowed to drink anything. He'd gone beyond the point of hunger so he didn't really care that he couldn't eat, but the thirst…that was getting harder for him to ignore. "I know what you were trying to do and I appreciate it. At least Sam gets to eat and drink though so that's good." He also knew it would help towards settling the tensions that had been cropping up amongst the team members throughout the day. However, he was also smart enough to know that those tensions could easily erupt again, depending on what else Bart had planned for them.

He looked up as Sam and Deeks came over to them, both having finished their dinner.

"I'm sorry, G," Sam said,

"Don't be," Callen said.

"I had thought having a special prime time edition of the game this evening," Bart said as he joined them, smiling arrogantly. "But, alas, I haven't finished the questions yet, so I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow's questions won't be the easy little decisions like what you had today. Tomorrow's questions will be doozies. They will test you like you've never been tested before."

"I can hardly wait for that," Callen muttered under his breath.

"I understand your enthusiasm," Bart said to Callen, grinning. "And I feel the same way as you do! The questions will definitely be worth the wait though. I'm going to make sure you and your teammates have the very best game playing experience imaginable."

As Callen stared back at Bart, he wondered if he had done something as a boy to piss him off. He couldn't imagine that he had. He had only met Bart twice back then, but maybe it was something he couldn't remember or something he had done quite unintentionally. Bart 's decision not to let him eat or drink anything seemed pretty pointed and he couldn't help but think there was a reason for it.

"Now you'd better get some sleep," Bart said. "You're going to need your rest to rejuvenate yourselves for the next round. Goodnight all and pleasant dreams!"

They trudged over to the tent and Deeks immediately got himself into his sleeping bag. "Thank you for what you did tonight," Sam said to Kensi. "You didn't have to do it, and, I appreciate it. I also apologize for my behavior earlier today…"

Kensi sighed softly as she gazed back at him. "There are no apologies necessary," she said quietly. "I fully understand why you were upset today. I…" She looked over at Callen who had already burrowed into his sleeping bag. "I'm glad you got to eat tonight, but I'm sorry it didn't work out the way I'd intended it to."

Sam nodded. "I know you are. I'm sorry about that too." He would have given anything for his partner to have gotten to have dinner that night. Knowing he had been thirsty hours ago and had been refused water, cut Sam to the quick. He couldn't imagine how G was feeling now. "Goodnight, Kensi," he said as he picked up his sleeping way and made his way over to where Callen was.

"Goodnight, Sam."

"Hey, G," Sam said as he settled down by his partner who was facing the opposite direction. "You doing okay, buddy?"

"I'm good," Callen replied, but there was a telltale hitch in his voice that told Sam he was anything but good.

Sam sighed softly, not even knowing what to say. To keep apologizing for water that Callen couldn't drink seemed like beating a dead horse, not to mention constantly reminding him of that seemed just as cruel as Bart bringing it up. "You warm enough?" he finally asked. It was the one thing he could help him with. There were plenty of blankets, at least, and it was the one thing that Callen was actually allowed to have.

"I'm fine, Sam. Don't worry, okay?"

"Yeah…okay…" At least G had been spared a bullet that day. Sam wasn't sure how he would have coped with that. He knew it would have turned a very bad situation into a dire one. He patted Callen's shoulder comfortingly and then laid down next to him, wishing he could think of a way to get him some water to drink. His inability to get such a simple thing for his partner made him feel helpless and feeling helpless was something that Sam hated.

xxxxx

Kensi settled down next to Deeks whose eyes were already closed. She tentatively touched his forehead and brushed some of his hair away from his face with her hand. "Deeks?" she whispered. "Are you awake?" He didn't give her an answer and she knew that he was asleep. She also knew that it was a bad sign. He never fell asleep that quickly or easily which told her his condition was worsening. She sighed as she curled up against him, hoping and praying that some kind of a miracle would happen and they would somehow get out of this situation with all of their lives intact.


	18. Chapter 18

"I don't want this on me," Deeks said, as he threw the top part of the sleeping bag off him and thrashed around in obvious discomfort.

"Oh Deeks," Kensi put her hand on his forehead. He really was burning up. "Sam? What should I do?"

Sam thought for a few moments and then got up and went over to the tent opening. "Hey!" he shouted at one of the men who was guarding them. "I need some water for my friend's fever."

"Your friend isn't allowed to have water," the man said, smirking at Sam. "I'm not as dumb as you think."

"Not that friend. The other guy. Ask Bart if you want. I think he'll be good with it."

"I'm not waking Bart."

One of the other guys came over with a bottle of water and handed it to Sam. "I'm going to watch and make sure none of this goes to your little buddy."

"What about a cloth or towel?" Sam asked. "Something we can use for a compress."

"Does this look like Wal-Mart to you?" the man asked. "I don't have anything, unless you want a pair of my dirty underwear."

Sam tried to hide his disgust at the man's comment. Thankfully, one of the other men tossed a half empty roll of paper towels to Sam. "Don't use too many of them or you'll be wiping up any spills with your tongue."

Sam walked back into the tent, followed by the guard. Callen was huddled in a corner in the midst of a coughing fit, holding his ribs. He cast a longing look at the bottle of water in Sam's hand, then turned away and laid back down so that he faced the wall of the tent. Sam sighed as more guilt ate away at him. Then he knelt down beside Deeks and soaked some paper towels in the water and then placed the compress on Deeks' forehead.

"Don't want this," Deeks murmured as he tried to fling the compress away.

"Deeks, Deeks you have to leave that there," Kensi said softly to him, taking his hand in her own. "Please Deeks, just try to rest."

"Don't want to be here," Deeks mumbled. "Want to go home, Fern."

"Shhh…I know you do," Kensi said, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "I want to go home too, Deeks. We will soon. I promise you."

"I'll just leave this with you," Sam said, handing the bottle of water to Kensi.

"Not happening," the guard said as he took the bottle out of Kensi's hand. "I'm not leaving the water in here. If you need more, you know where I am."

Kensi shared a sad look with Sam. "I'm sorry, Sam," she whispered. "I'm so sorry they won't let him have any water."

Sam nodded, but said nothing. He directed his gaze to his partner who was still facing away from them and then went to try to get some sleep and give Kensi and Deeks some privacy. "Let me know if you need me, Kens," he said.

Kensi nodded and turned her attention back to Deeks, hoping his fever would drop by morning.

xxxxx

The sound of Callen's coughing once again drew Sam out of his uneasy slumber. He could see through the opening of the tent that the sun was just beginning to rise. He looked over at Kensi and Deeks and was glad to see that they both appeared to be peacefully asleep. He moved closer to his partner and gently put his hand on his back. "Hey, you okay?" he whispered.

"I'm fine, Sam," Callen said, his voice sounding hoarse and rough.

Sam could only imagine how his partner was feeling. "You warm enough?" he asked, hating the sound of the lame question. He then risked Callen's wrath by placing his hand on his partner's forehead, relieved to find it relatively cool.

"I'm fine," Callen repeated. He knew it wasn't anyone's fault that he couldn't have water, but he was starting to feel the effects of it both mentally and physically. His throat was sore and his head ached and he was having to force himself not to begrudge his team being able to drink while he could not.

"Good morning, good morning!" Bart's cheerful voice permeated the otherwise silent morning as Callen and Sam exchanged a look of dismay and Kensi and Deeks began to awaken. "How did my happy little prisoners sleep?" He looked at Deeks with a look of false sadness. "I heard my poor little detective friend wasn't doing too well. I hope you're better this morning. We have some fun ahead of us."

"Go to hell," Deeks snarled.

"Deeks," Kensi put her arm around him. "Deeks, don't."

"Why not?" he asked angrily.

"Because, we don't need any more trouble this morning," Kensi looked at him pleadingly. "Please."

"Fine."

"Oh don't worry, Agent Blye, I won't hold the detective's grouchiness against him," Bart said. "I enjoy his feistiness…just as long as he doesn't get carried away with it." He turned towards Callen and Sam who were just watching in silence. "And how is my thirsty little friend this morning?"

Callen sighed and ignored the question as Sam clenched his fists, willing himself not to snap.

"It's a question that demands an answer, Agent Callen," Bart said. "I would answer it if I was you."

"I'm fine," Callen replied.

"Good, good, I'm very glad to hear it. Now then, I'd like the four of you to join me outside. Agent Blye, you're going to start off our festivities this morning. Come along. Don't dawdle."

"Do you need help, Deeks?" Kensi asked with concern as he started to get to his feet, looking a bit sluggish.

"No, I'm good," Deeks said. He stood up and took a step, looking slightly off-balance as he did so. Sam reached out to steady him and Deeks pulled away roughly. "I said I was good!" Sam quickly backed off and Deeks immediately looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, man…"

"No worries, Deeks," Sam said. "I get it."

Deeks nodded and Kensi gently put her arm around him for support as they headed outside where Bart was waiting for them. "Now, Agent Blye, as you can probably guess, it's breakfast time. I'm going to give you a chance to give Agent Callen some breakfast and some ice cold juice or water, whatever he would like."

Callen tried hard to look disinterested, but he couldn't disguise the look of hope in his eyes which Bart easily noticed. "I see that look, Agent Callen. You're positively salivating at the thought of a drink, aren't you?"

Callen ignored him and Kensi waited patiently to hear whatever this newest bit of Bart insanity would be. "So," Bart began. "We begin with a choice. Either breakfast for you, Agent Blye, Detective Deeks and Agent Hanna…or…you give permission for one of my men to shoot Detective Deeks in his other shoulder and Agent Callen can join you."

Callen gave Bart a look of pure hatred as Deeks spoke up. "Give him permission, Kensi."

"What?" Kensi turned to Deeks incredulously. "I'm not going to do that."

"Callen needs to drink something," Deeks said. "It's no big deal."

"You're not asking to be shot, Deeks," Callen said. "That's just craziness."

"I'm not crazy," Deeks said quietly.

"G's right," Sam said. As much as he was worried about his partner, he would certainly never endorse deliberately allowing Deeks to be shot. "Kensi, just refuse."

"I don't give permission," Kensi said. The whole choice had been absurd. She was sure Bart knew she would refuse him. It was just another way to mentally torture Callen.

"Sorry, Agent Callen," Bart said cheerily. "Bacon, eggs, sausage and hash browns, all fried up over an open fire with plenty of juice and water. It almost makes me sad that you can't have any."

Callen said nothing. He was inwardly forcing himself to remain calm and cool, wanting to ease the guilt he knew his team was feeling as much as possible.

The three team members went to the table and sat down, trying not to think about Callen's presence only a few feet away. "I hate this," Deeks mumbled as he tried to force down some eggs. This whole eating thing was just daily torture for him and he knew it was torture for Callen as well, but for totally different reasons.

"One of these days this bastard is going to get his," Sam mumbled. His eyes went to Callen, but his partner, although facing in their direction, seemed to be unfocused, almost like he was in a daze.

"What was that, Agent Hanna?" Bart asked.

"Nothing," Sam replied.

"That's what I thought," Bart said, smiling and nodding in satisfaction.

They finished breakfast without incident and then the team was ordered to join Callen once again. No one bothered to apologize, knowing it was just rubbing salt in his wound.

"So now, I know you must be feeling neglected, Agent Callen," Bart said. "And we can't have that, so I'll give you a turn. Let's see…what would be a good decision for you…hmm…oh I know, pick someone to hold their breath under water for two minutes, Agent Hanna or Agent Blye."

To his credit, Callen pretended to look distressed by the question as he looked at Sam and then Kensi, pretending that he was having a difficult time with his choice. "Uh…"

"Come now, Agent Callen. Don't take all day. The lady or your partner?"

"My partner," Callen said softly. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"It's okay, G," Sam said. He watched as one of Bart's men approached them, carrying a large bucket of water.

"Agent Hanna, are you ready?" Bart asked. Sam nodded and knelt down beside the bucket of water, then took a deep breath right before Bart's man shoved his head underneath the surface and held it there. Callen, Kensi and Deeks still had anxiety as they kept their eyes on Sam and mentally tracked the time which seemed to take a whole lot longer than two minutes. Finally, Sam's head was released and he raised his head, gasping for air.

"Are you all right?" Callen asked, the worry in his eyes now very real.

Sam nodded, seeing Callen's obvious distress. "I'm fine G, really I am."

"Nicely done, Agent Hanna," Bart said, clapping his hands in mock approval. And now, I will give you a 10 minute break until our next question. Agent Hanna, prepare yourself. Your turn is next.

xxxxx

"Did Bart tell you the people he is holding captive are federal agents?" Hetty asked Michael Shaughnessy, her expression stern and unyielding.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shaughnessy replied stubbornly.

"I know it was you who made the maze of explosives," Eric said. Hetty had allowed him to accompany her into the interrogation and he was determined that she not end up regretting her decision.

Shaughnessy sneered at Eric. "And how would you know such a thing?"

"I recognized your trademark Flash signature," Eric said. He then forced himself to speak admiringly about the other man. "And your work…magnificent…I don't know many people who could have pulled that off…explosive craftsmanship at its finest…"

Shaughnessy couldn't help the proud smile that touched his lips or the faint blush of his cheeks. "That bitch though…that bitch saved him. Bart said he didn't care, but I did. I wanted that guy to blow up. I really wanted it to work."

"So, the guy who was trapped, Agent Callen, managed to get away?" Eric asked.

Shaughnessy nodded. "Yeah, he did. That little minx slipped in amongst the openings between the wires then managed to defuse the bomb. I had thought the openings were small enough, but they weren't…next time…next time I'll make sure there's not enough room for anyone to get through."

Eric nodded. "I'm sure the next time, it'll work. Even the greatest genius experiences a learning curve. I have no doubt that next time, you'll be a success."

Shaughnessy smiled at Eric. "Thanks. I think so too."

"If you gentlemen will excuse me," Hetty said, pushing her chair away from the table as she decided to give Eric some time alone with Shaughnessy. "The ladies room is calling me."

"Wow… what is up with her?" Shaughnessy asked as soon as Hetty had left the room. "She looks as crazy as a bat."

Eric laughed uncomfortably, hoping that Hetty wasn't already watching them on the monitor although he knew Nell would be. "So… back to you. I wish I could help you get this guy. When Bart sent us the picture of Callen all tied up like that…I was really hoping it had worked…"

"Yeah?" Shaughnessy looked at Eric skeptically. "Don't you work with him though? Why would I believe you'd want him dead."

Eric sighed. "I don't think someone as accomplished as you could even understand…"

"You'd be surprised," said Shaughnessy. "Try me."

"Well…he's an agent and a really smug one at that. Look at him and look at me…"

Shaughnessy shook his head. "I didn't think he was all that. I mean I guess he was good looking in that kind of obvious way, but he looked kind of scrawny if you ask me and all pathetic and pitiful being tied up the way he was. I mean, dude, he needed to have a woman come to his rescue!" Shaughnessy snickered and Eric joined in.

"And that woman was Kensi and he HATES her. That's the only good thing about her rescuing him. Out of anybody, he would not want her to have been the one to save him."

"Yeah?" Shaughnessy asked with interest.

"Oh yeah. Pretty sure he was jealous because she never gave him the time of day and it just kind of festered inside him."

Shaughnessy nodded. "She is pretty fine. I can understand why she wouldn't want anything to do with him though. Even tied up, I could see he looked kind of full of himself."

"You have no idea," Eric said. "He is constantly lording over the others on his team and me. He bosses me around 24/7. He has no qualms about calling me at 3 a.m. to ask me how to get his dvd player to work. No boundaries and no respect."

"Wow…that really sucks," Shaughnessy said sympathetically. "I can see why you'd want to put him in his place."

Eric nodded. "The only thing better than having him already blown up, would be if I could be there to watch it happen. I'd love to see the fear in his eyes, knowing he was going to die and that I'd be watching and would finally have the upper hand."

"If I could get out of here…I could make that happen for you," Shaughnessy said eagerly. "Only thing is…that creepy little woman isn't about to let me out of here."

"I think she would if you'd give her a location, just a fake one," Eric said. "She's not the brightest bulb either. She'll believe you."

"It would have to be a fake one," Shaughnessy said. "I don't know where he is, but I can get someone to pick us up and bring us out there if you really mean what you're saying."

"Oh I mean it," Eric said eagerly. "I would love nothing better than to see that smug look wiped off Callen's face once and for all."

xxxxx

Hetty looked at Nell who was smiling admiringly as she watched the exchange between Eric and Shaughnessy on the monitor. "Is there something I need to know about Mr. Callen and Mr. Beale's relationship?" she asked, looking a little bit worried.

Nell shook her head and laughed. "Everything's fine with them Hetty. Eric's just really good at coming up with stories."

"Yes, he certainly is," Hetty said, nodding, impressed with what he had been able to accomplish. "Well done, Mr. Beale…well done, indeed."

xxxxx

So, it's time for the next question. Agent Hanna, are you ready?" Bart asked, his irritating smile, once again present on his smug face.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Sam said resignedly.

"Okay then, this may be a little bit hard to do, but it really shouldn't be too difficult, especially if you do it quickly. Now, choose between Detective Deeks and Agent Callen, who will receive 20 lashes with a whip, delivered by you, onto his bare back?"


	19. Chapter 19

Sam stared at Bart, looking sick to his stomach. "Whip one of them?" He shook his head. "I can't do that…"

"No?" Bart shook his head, pretending to look saddened. "Well that is too bad, it really is. I suppose…I guess I'll just have to have Burke do it instead. Except, he won't be able to stop at 20 lashes. No, in order to make it worth his while, it will have to be at least 50…yes, 50 is a good, solid number. I think Burke will be very pleased." He looked over at Callen and Deeks. "Sorry boys. I guess one of you is going to have to endure more than double the torture because your friend here is too much of a wuss to do what needs to be done."

Sam glared at Bart. "You're a real sick son of a bitch."

Bart chuckled. "I've been called worse in my lifetime…much worse. Now, I'd better go find Burke. He will be excited. I just know he's been most eager to get his hands on one of you. I'd say the whipping is going to be a good deal harsher this way." He gave a mock shudder. "I'm just glad it's not me having to experience it."

"I'll do it," Sam growled, his eyes dark and angry as he continued to glare at Bart.

"Oh that is good news!" Bart said cheerily. "So, I'll give you a few minutes to make your decision. I know it can't be an easy one. Whipping people is such a distasteful business. I can't say that I would want to do it myself."

"No…we've already discovered that you never do your own dirty work," Sam remarked icily, watching as Bart walked away. He then sighed heavily as he looked sadly at his team members. Kensi looked back at him pleadingly. "Please, Sam… you can't…"

"Don't worry, Kens," Callen said and he proceeded to remove his t-shirt. "I've got this."

Sam cringed when he looked at his partner and saw the deep purple bruise over his ribs. Evidently, Burke was capable of an incredibly powerful punch. He couldn't imagine the damage he could do with a whip.

"Wait a minute," Deeks said. "I should get a say in this too."

"The decision's made, Deeks," Callen said.

Deeks shook his head and looked at Sam. "You haven't said anything, Sam. Tell him you haven't made your choice."

"Deeks…You can't go through that," Kensi began, speaking gently. "You're already hurt and sick."

"Really?" Deeks asked, looking back at Kensi. "Do you not see that bruise, Kensi? Did you not hear him coughing half the night last night? Are you not aware that he hasn't had anything to eat or drink in over 24 hours?"

"Yes, Deeks, I know all that," Kensi said, starting to get upset. "But I sat up with you last night. You were feverish and incoherent and I don't care what you say. You're not well. There's only so much you can take, in spite of what you say. I…I'm not going to sit back and watch you die."

"I'm not going to die from getting whipped," Deeks retorted.

"It's okay, Kens," Callen said softly. "He's not going to have to go through that." He then turned his head towards Deeks. "I'm fine, Deeks. I have a cold…it's no big deal."

"Callen?" Kensi looked at him sorrowfully and with more than a little guilt. "It…it's not like I want anything to happen to you. I hate this. It's just…"

"I understand, Kens," Callen said, managing a faint smile. "He's your partner and the man you're going to marry."

"Sam?" Deeks asked, turning towards the older agent.

Callen turned towards his partner as well. "You know what needs to be done here," he said quietly. "I know you don't like it, but…it's what we've got to do. It'll be okay."

Sam sighed. He'd hurt his partner before in the line of duty, but never like this, never so badly. He wasn't sure he could do it.

"I can take it Sam," Deeks said insistently. "You don't want to have to do that to your best friend, do you?"

"Deeks, keep out of it," Callen said.

"I can't do that, Callen," Deeks retorted. "I'm in this as much as you are."

"No you're not," Callen said stubbornly. "He's my partner. It's between him and me."

"Are you two really going to fight over which one of you I'm going to whip?" Sam asked. He turned to look at Deeks. "I really appreciate you offering to sacrifice yourself…"

"I sense a but coming," Deeks said. "Come on, Sam. No buts."

"But…Kensi's right. I can't do it to you. I just can't. I know you're feeling a little better now because its daylight, but you weren't doing well last night. I don't even want to know what that wound of yours looks like right now." He knew it would be a mess but didn't dare remove the bandage because Bart had taken all of the first aid stuff away from them. He then turned towards Callen, his eyes filled with anguish. "G…"

"Come on, Sam, don't get all sentimental over this, okay?" Callen said, giving Sam his best smirk. "I can take 20 lashes. You know I can."

Sam shook his head, appearing dangerously close to tears. "I know you can," he said softly. "I just…god, G…I don't want to hurt you…"

"I know you don't," Callen said quietly, putting his arm around Sam's shoulders. "I trust you'll do the best you can not to hurt me that badly."

"But I'm still going to hurt you," Sam said. "There's no avoiding it…"

Callen shook his head. "It won't be that bad…I'm tougher than I look."

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, you're a real bad ass." His eyes then went serious as his gaze locked with Callen's. "I'll try to go easy on you if I can."

"Don't go too easy," Callen cautioned his partner. "You know if you do, he'll just sic Burke on me… I don't want that, Sam." He didn't come out and say it, but Burke's presence made him really nervous. He was pretty sure the man would rip the flesh right off his back if he got the chance.

Sam nodded. He didn't want Burke touching his partner, just the appearance of that bruise made him realize how dangerous he was.

"So, has a decision been made?" Bart came back, grinning widely at the somber team. "Now don't look so sad, it will be over before you know it. Agent Hanna? Who do you choose to be your whipping boy?"

"I…I choose G," Sam said reluctantly.

"Really?" Bart couldn't hide his obvious surprise. "I must say, that's not what I thought you were going to say, but it works for me. Follow me." He looked at Kensi and Deeks. "I want the two of you to come and watch as well."

The group walked over to the other side of the campsite where two trees were growing close together. "Burke? Johnson?" Bart called out. "I'd like for you to tie Agent Callen's wrists to these trees. We wouldn't want him trying to escape or missing even one second of his whipping."

"I sure wish I was going to whip you, boy." Burke taunted Callen with a sinister smile as he tied the rope around his right wrist. "I'd make sure that every stroke counted."

Finally Callen was tied firmly in place and he could feel every one of his nerves standing on edge as he stood waiting for the whipping which was to come.

"I feel sick," Kensi whispered to Deeks who took her hand.

"Here you are, Agent Hanna," Bart said as he handed him the whip. "20 lashes and I want to hear the crack of the whip. If I don't, I'll let Burke have some fun with your partner."

Callen couldn't see Sam or the whip since he was facing in the opposite direction. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes as he tried to prepare himself for the oncoming assault. The first crack of the whip made him flinch, as much as he tried not to, as did the subsequent lashes. At first, it was the sound that affected him more than the actual strokes themselves. They didn't seem to hurt so much, but then the pain began to burn and spread over his back with each stroke of the whip. He inadvertently bit down on his lower lip too hard and it started to bleed.

Sam couldn't remember ever feeling as terrible as he did at this moment. He felt like a monster, to be doing what he was doing to his partner, his best friend in the world. Callen never made a sound, not a groan or a whimper. Sam wasn't sure if that made it better or somehow made it worse. He had to fight the urge to point the whip in the direction of Bart's face, knowing that the consequences to his partner or Kensi or Deeks would not be worth it. When he got to number 10, Sam hesitated, finding it difficult to keep going.

"Only halfway there, Agent Hanna…would you like Burke to take over for you?"

Sam quickly started again, striking Callen harder than he had intended in his haste to make sure Burke didn't get near him. He then steadied himself as he counted down the remaining strokes and breathed a sigh of relief when the task was completed and he watched as Callen was released from his restraints.

"I'll give your team a break before we go on," Bart stated, looking at Callen's pain-filled eyes in satisfaction. "I'll be back." He then walked away, leaving the team alone except for the guards who surrounded them.

Callen started shivering after he was released and he couldn't seem to stop. His legs were also weak and shaky. Sam cautiously approached him. "G?"

"I'm all right, Sam," Callen said as he took a couple of deep breaths and tried to steady himself. He still couldn't seem to stop shaking, even though he didn't feel cold. He wondered if he was having some weird sort of stress reaction to what he had just gone through.

"Callen?" Kensi went to him and cautiously embraced him with one hand on his shoulder and the other lightly on his waist, not going anywhere near his back. Callen returned her embrace and held her tightly. He was suddenly having a very hard time keeping his emotions under control.

"I'm sorry, Callen," Kensi whispered. "I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this."

"I…I'm okay," he said, a slight tremor in his voice.

Deeks slowly walked up behind Callen and looked over his back. It didn't appear to be that bad. He could only see two welts that had opened up slightly, but the rest were just angry and red-appearing. Sam had done an admirable job of not doing any lasting damage to his partner. "Callen? Do you want your t-shirt?" he asked. He wasn't sure why, but he had taken it before they had walked over to the other side of the camp.

Callen turned around and nodded as Deeks handed him the shirt. "Thanks, Deeks," he murmured, not looking the other man in the eye. He couldn't put a finger on why, but he almost felt ashamed of what had just happened to him. He pulled the shirt on over his head and felt slightly better when he was covered up again. At least the shirt was loose-fitting and it didn't increase his pain much.

"I'm sorry, G…" Sam kept his distance from his partner but he couldn't take his eyes off him. "You'll never know how much."

"It wasn't your fault," Callen briefly glanced over at Sam, but then dropped his gaze. "I know you didn't want this, Sam."

"Of course he wanted it," Bart contradicted as he returned to the group. "I'm sure you've done some things to irritate him over the years. Nothing like a little bit of revenge to add excitement to one's life."

"I would NEVER hurt him on my own," Sam growled. "You really need to shut the hell up."

"Or what?" Bart laughed. "I'm the boss here. I'd watch myself if I was you. Words can have consequences."

"Always with the threats," Sam said, shaking his head. "I'd love to see you have the balls to take me on one on one, bet you wouldn't be so full of yourself then…"

"Well, we're not going to have to find that out now, are we? I'm in the position of power here and the four of you are my puppets to manipulate how I want. With the snap of my fingers, I can have any one of you killed instantly or dismembered, burned alive, drowned...so many possibilities. So, as I said, I'd watch myself if I was you, Agent Hanna…unless you'd like your partnership to come to an end instantly."

Sam glared at Bart, but didn't say anything else, knowing he had already pushed the man past where he should have.

Bart nodded, satisfied that Sam seemed to be done. "And now, I'd like to get on with our game, if you don't mind. "I believe it is your turn, Detective Deeks."

Deeks fixed his eyes on Bart as he uneasily waited for whatever this psychotic freak had up his sleeve next.

"So…" Bart said, smiling widely. "Let's cut right to the chase. Would you rather flog Agent Blye five times with a bamboo cane or let Burke over there have his way with Agent Callen?"

"What?" Deeks asked, looking instantly sick with the choice that had been presented to him. "What do you mean…have his way with?"

"I mean he will beat Agent Callen until he's done. Whether that means Agent Callen is dead or merely unconscious, I'll leave to Burke's judgement. Burke has been ever so patient. I wouldn't want to rush him. I'll give you a short time to think it over." Bart then walked away, whistling the theme song from "Rocky" as he walked.

"Burke will kill him," Sam whispered, as he ran his hand over his face. He knew that Deeks had been presented with an impossible choice.

Kensi immediately went to Deeks and hugged him tightly. "I can't," he said, as he held her, already knowing what she wanted him to do.

"You HAVE to," Kensi stated as she pulled back and gazed at him intently. "Sam's right, Deeks. That animal will kill Callen. Five strokes, Deeks. It will be over before you've begun."

Deeks shook his head, his eyes full of tears as he was overcome with memories of his mother being beaten by his father. He couldn't do it. He couldn't hit Kensi. Even one stroke was more than he could bear.

Sam sighed then went over to the young detective and put his hand on Deeks' uninjured shoulder. "Deeks…Deeks…I don't want Kensi hurt either…I can't imagine how difficult this is for you, but…this is life or death."

"Sam don't," Callen said quietly. "Leave him alone. You can't expect him to hurt Kensi…"

Sam turned to his partner, looking like he was about to explode. "You know I don't want him to have to hurt her, but G…that guy will kill you. Look what one punch did to you. He…will…kill…you…" He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word.

"You're not giving me much of a chance, Sam. Do you really have so little faith in me?" Callen asked, trying to smirk, but not really pulling it off. "I was handcuffed when he hit me before. I'll be able to defend myself this time…"

"Really, G? Really?" Sam asked, shaking his head. "You're in terrific shape to try to fight him. You're hurt and weak and you're half his size. You know…you know what will happen… He's been chomping at the bit to get his hands on you. Maybe he'll be merciful and decide not to kill you, but I wouldn't count on it."

Deeks just listened to them, looking shell-shocked and deeply shaken. "Deeks? Deeks, it will be all right," Kensi pleaded softly. "I promise we'll get through this, sweetheart." She put her hand on his cheek and looked at him intently. "I know you would never, ever hurt me on your own. This won't change anything between us."

Deeks shook his head slowly. "I just…I don't think I can do it, Kens…I just don't…" His eyes went to Callen who looked calm and collected now. Seemingly, he had mentally moved past the whipping. It was almost as if he was resigned to his fate. He then looked at Sam who was pacing back and forth, looking very distraught.

"Deeks?" Kensi tried again. "Honey, I'm sorry, but I don't think you have a choice here. You can't let that man loose on Callen. You just can't."

"I love you, Kensi…more than anything in this world. You can't expect me to hurt you like that."

"Deeks, please look at me," Kensi said. "I know you. You are strong and you will get past this, but…if he…if he kills Callen…you won't be able to forgive yourself…Please…you know what you have to do."

At that point, Bart came back over to them. "Well, Detective…I think I've given you sufficient time to make a decision."

"Wait!" Sam interrupted. "Bart…you're a reasonable man…I would like to volunteer to take Callen's place in this little scenario. Surely, you can see that he wouldn't stand a chance against Burke. He's weak. He's had no food or water in over 24 hours. In the spirit of fair play, please let me take his place."

Bart tapped his chin with his fingertips as he pondered or pretended to ponder Sam's offer. "I see your point about no food or water. Although I can't allow you to take his place, I'll tell you what. If the good detective picks Agent Callen, I will allow him to have some lunch and water to drink before the big event. There now, Detective. Doesn't that make you feel better?"

Deek stared back at Bart, his blue eyes filled with hatred and resentment. "No…it doesn't make me feel better you sick bastard."

"Tsk, tsk, detective. Don't be like that. I have given you a perfectly reasonable decision to make. I'm not an animal. Five strokes is child's play, even for a woman and Agent Callen is a trained agent, is he not? You have every reason to believe he can make a respectable showing against our friend, Burke. Size and power aren't everything, well…not always." Bart chuckled in amusement. "Now tell me, Detective, what is your decision? Will you strike Agent Blye or offer up Agent Callen to Burke?

Deeks looked at Callen whose head was bowed as he stared down at the ground. He then turned his gaze to Kensi who looked back at him with love and trust in her eyes as she nodded at him supportively.

"I…I pick Kensi," he whispered regretfully, feeling as if the weight of the world had just been placed on his shoulders.


	20. Chapter 20

"Really?" Bart shot a somewhat disgusted look in Callen's direction and then stared at Deeks. "Interesting choice."

Deeks' eyes were full of rage as he stared back at Bart. "No, it's not interesting…its not interesting at all," he said.

"I'll let you cool off a bit before lunch," Bart said, a faint smile on his lips. "We won't have the festivities until later in the day.

"Festivities?" Deeks was seething as Bart walked away. "I'd like to show him some festivities."

"Thank you, Deeks," Kensi said as she put her arms around him. "I know how difficult that was for you."

"I don't know what you're thanking me for," Deeks said as he shook his head, his eyes full of emotion. He turned towards Callen and Sam and noticed that Callen was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "What?"

"I just…I guess I don't understand."

"Really, Callen? Really?" Deeks asked angrily. "You don't understand why I didn't give you up to a psychopathic killing machine? What the hell is wrong with you anyway?"

"Deeks," Kensi rubbed his upper arm. "It's okay."

"It's not okay, Kensi…" Deeks replied. The way things were going, he really didn't know if it would ever be okay again.

xxxxx

"Are you all right, G?" Sam asked as he sat down near his partner who had just seated himself on the ground.

"I'm fine, Sam," Callen answered automatically. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Sam studied his partner with his eyes. "I don't know…maybe because I just whipped you not that long ago? Maybe because, for some reason that I don't understand, you think Deeks should have served you up to Burke on a silver platter."

Callen shook his head then directed his gaze to his partner. "A reason you don't understand? I don't like seeing my team hurt, especially not Kensi. Is that a good enough reason for you?"

"Come on, G," Sam said. "You can't really believe that Deeks made a wrong decision with this. He protected you."

"I didn't say he made a wrong decision, Sam," Callen replied. "I just…I don't like being the reason that anyone gets hurt."

"You're not the reason," Sam said softly. "Bart is the reason. He's… "

At that point, Callen just stopped listening to his partner. He was hurting and he desperately wanted to just go grab a bottle of water, the consequences be damned. However, he was sure that if he did that, Bart would find a way to take it out on someone else so there was no way he could even try.

Xxxxx

"Lunch time!" Bart called out, a short time later. "Come along, my little chickadees."

No one moved. Sam remained seated beside his partner and Kensi and Deeks didn't make a move to get up either. "What's this?" Bart asked.

"We're not eating unless G gets to eat to have lunch too," Sam replied defiantly.

"And whose decision was this?"

"It was a collective decision," Kensi answered. "We all agreed to it."

"Ah, a mutiny," Bart said, nodding. "Not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but yet, not the smartest idea either."

"It is what it is," stated Sam.

Bart nodded and smiled as he glanced at Callen who appeared disinterested in the goings on and then his eyes went to Deeks who looked upset and distracted. He was pretty sure the reason wasn't Callen's inability to eat lunch. "That's just fine. You can all continue to have your little demonstration, but just remember, five hits with the bamboo cane can easily become 15 or 20. My punishments can be changed at my discretion. They can also be delivered by Burke instead of my detective friend. Does that sound like a pleasant idea, Agent Blye?"

Kensi paled but said nothing as Deeks stared at Bart. Deeks was about to say something, but Sam quickly spoke first. "You really are a coward," he stated. "You hone in on members of our team who have been physically compromised, but you rarely focus on me. Why is that, I wonder?"

"I don't know, Agent Hanna," Bart replied, seething. "I do know that it's a safe bet your partner will never have anything else to drink for the rest of his short and sorry life. He was an obnoxious brat when Henrietta took him in and he remains the same to this very day."

His words immediately caught Callen's attention and drew him out of his own thoughts. "What did I do to you?" he asked, honestly curious.

"You?" Bart looked at Callen as if he were an annoying insect to be swatted away. "You did nothing except rob me of a long-time friend."

Callen shook his head, appearing confused. "I don't understand how…"

"Shut up!" Bart shouted before looking over at Kensi, Deeks and Sam. "And you three had better come to lunch now or two of your team will pay the price and I assure you, it will not be something the two remaining team members will find very pleasant to witness."

Sam cast Callen an apologetic look with his eyes as he got up off the ground and Deeks and Kensi reluctantly followed suit. The trio then walked over to the table and sat down with Bart. There were assorted sandwiches, bags of chips and salad, along with plenty to drink as always. Sam was wracking his brain, trying to think of a way to get something to his partner, but a drink, which was what he knew G needed and wanted the most, seemed impossible. He glanced over at him and saw that Callen had pulled up his knees to his chest and buried his face. Luckily, Bart didn't seem focused on him.

Deeks had taken some food but it remained on his plate, untouched. He couldn't seem to get his mind off of what was coming later that day. To think of what he had to do to Kensi, to become, even temporarily, the same kind of monster that his father had been, that seemed incomprehensible to him.

"Deeks, you need to eat," Kensi, who was seated beside him, whispered. "Please."

Deeks, almost robotically did as Kensi requested. He picked up a sandwich and took a small bite, feeling as if he was eating sandpaper.

"So, Detective Deeks," Bart began as he looked over at the emotionally burdened man. "You haven't asked me what time the festivities will begin."

"Stop calling it that," Deeks growled quietly, his eyes dark and menacing as he focused them on Bart.

Bart gave a mock shudder. "Detective, you look positively scary." He then chuckled. "Call it whatever you like. What time do you think would be good?"

"Why don't you leave him alone?" Sam asked. "What kind of a sick human being spends all his time mentally and physically torturing people?"

"Oh, I don't know, the kind who has spent a long, long time in prison. People get bored, they come up with little ideas and projects…fun things to do."

"Didn't you ever hear of watercolor painting?" Sam asked.

"Shut up, Agent Hanna. Frankly, you're boring me," Bart stated. He turned his attention back to Deeks. "Detective, what time would you like to have our fest…um show?"

"How about the 12th of Never," Deeks answered, with another glare at Bart.

"No, no, I'm afraid that won't do at all. I suppose I'll have to surprise you. Now if I were you, I'd start eating with a bit more gusto or else I may have to double my pleasure, double my fun."

Deeks shot Bart a glowering look, but did as he was told, not able to bear the thought of having to hit Kensi more than the required five times.

While Deeks had Bart's attention, Sam had been slyly transferring cherry tomatoes, from the salad, into his pockets. He was pretty sure that no one had noticed as the guards were mostly just chatting among themselves at the moment. He'd wanted to get a clementine or two, but they would cause his pockets to bulge too much so he stuck with the cherry tomatoes.

Finally, the lunch came to its excruciating end. "I'm going to do you all a favor," Bart said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin then placed it down next to his plate. "I'm giving you a few hours of free time this afternoon before our little production, which will take place at 5 o'clock, right before dinner." Bart then got up and left the table.

As he stood up, Sam glanced over at Deeks to see how he was taking that news, but the younger man remained expressionless. Sam's gaze then met Kensi's who somberly said "I've got this."

Sam walked over to Callen who hadn't changed his position. "G?" he said softly as he squatted down next to him. "G…come into the tent with me."

"Why?" Callen asked. His tone sounded weary and very dejected.

"Never mind why. Can't you just do it?" Sam asked. Callen lifted up his head and looked at his partner. Sam couldn't help but notice how pronounced the circles were under his friend's eyes. He looked tired and drawn. "Come on, buddy. You can rest there."

"I can rest here too," Callen said.

Sam sighed, frustrated. "Will you just do this one damn thing for me, Callen?" he snapped.

Callen looked at his partner in surprise as did Kensi and Deeks who turned their eyes toward the other set of partners.

"I'm sorry, G," Sam said contritely. The last thing he meant to do was lose his patience with his friend. "Please?"

"Fine," Callen said as he slowly got to his feet and followed Sam over to the tent.

xxxxx

"Guess the pressure's getting to everyone," Kensi commented after Sam and Callen had disappeared into the tent.

"Yeah, I guess so," Deeks agreed, his eyes lowered as he looked down at the ground.

"Deeks, please talk to me," Kensi pleaded.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Kensi," he said. The whole thought of it made him feel sick and he'd already felt pretty sick on his own before this had happened.

"We can talk about something else then."

"I can't…I can't get this off my mind."

"You know this doesn't mean anything. You're nothing like your father."

Deeks said nothing at all to that. The kinds of thoughts milling around in his head were dark and horrid and nothing he could talk about, not even to the woman he loved more than anything else in the world.

"Deeks?" Kensi looked at him in the way he usually couldn't resist, but this time he did. He just shook his head .

"I'm sorry, Kens…I just can't," he whispered. "Please…Please just leave me alone…" His blue eyes were full of emotion and he appeared to be on the verge of breaking down at any moment. Kensi stared back at him for what seemed like forever, but was really only seconds, and finally did as he asked and left him alone.

xxxx

Callen walked into the tent and sat down then looked at his partner curiously. "Okay, Sam, you've got me here…what's up?"

Sam glanced outside to make sure no one was paying attention to them, then dug his hands into his pockets and pulled out the cherry tomatoes. "Here," he said, handing them to his partner. "I'll keep watch and make sure no one comes."

"How…" Callen stared at them, awestruck. "Thank you, Sam," he said as he put one into his mouth and slowly ate it, savoring the juicy goodness. Tomatoes weren't even his favorite thing, but at that moment eating one was pure bliss. "You shouldn't have risked it…but I'm glad you did…" He then began to eat another one, looking at his partner gratefully.

"I'm just sorry I couldn't get you a drink," Sam said, shaking his head. "There was just no way. Tomatoes are supposed to help with dehydration though. I know there aren't that many, but…hopefully they'll help a little anyway."

"These are definitely making me feel better," Callen said, as he continued to slowly munch on the tomatoes, savoring every bite, as the juice helped sooth his parched mouth and throat.

"Good. I'm glad," Sam said, smiling at his friend.

When he was down to the last four, Callen gave Sam a questioning look. "Do you think I should ration them?" he asked.

Sam considered the question for a few moments and then shook his head. "I wouldn't, G," he replied. "You never know if or when Bart could pull some kind of a search. I don't want you to get into trouble. In any case, if the opportunity comes up, I'll try to get you more or something else if I can."

"No, don't, Sam. This was good," Callen said as he put another tomato into his mouth. "I don't want Bart to have anything else to hold against us. I'll be okay."

Sam nodded, but as far as he was concerned the idea was still very much in play. If he could find a way to make things better for G, he was going to do everything in his power to make it happen.

xxxxx

After Callen had finished eating the tomatoes, he and Sam rejoined their teammates outside. Kensi and Deeks were apart so Callen joined Deeks and Sam went over to Kensi. "How are you holding up?" Callen asked.

"I'm fine," Deeks replied, making it very obvious that he was anything but fine. "What about you two? You didn't exactly seem too good yourselves a little while ago."

"We're good," Callen said. He then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Sam managed to smuggle me some cherry tomatoes."

"Yeah?" Deeks actually smiled at the news. It was nice to hear something good for a change. "That's great, Callen."

Callen nodded. "Yeah…I've got to admit, they tasted pretty damn good to me."

"I bet…" Deeks' uplift in mood over Callen's good fortune only lasted for moments before he thought about what lay ahead for him and Kensi. It then swiftly plummeted again.

"Deeks…" Callen began slowly as he stared at the younger man who wasn't meeting his eyes. "I'm really sorry about all this…"

Deeks sighed heavily then finally looked back at Callen. "Why?" he asked. "Why are you sorry, Callen?"

"Why? I…" Callen hesitated as Deeks nodded.

"Exactly," Deeks said. "You don't have any more reason to be sorry than the rest of us. Just because some psycho decided to be jealous of you when you were a kid or whatever stupid reason he has for holding a grudge? It's not your fault, Callen. If you persist in thinking it is your fault, well then you're an even bigger glutton for punishment than I ever thought you were."

"Can I at least say I feel bad then?" Callen finally asked, his blue eyes sincere, after a few long moments of silence.

"Yeah," Deeks said, his own eyes filled with sadness as he looked back at Callen. "It's okay for you to say that."

xxxxx

While Callen was talking to Deeks, Sam made his way to Kensi and sat down next to her. "You doing okay, Kens?" he asked quietly.

Kensi started to nod, then shook her head. "No…not really."

Sam was astute enough to know that she wasn't worrying about her own welfare. "He's going to get through this…he'll be okay."

"You don't understand, Sam," Kensi said. "He…I'm just not sure that he will come through this…There are things…" Kensi stopped herself, not feeling comfortable talking about Deeks behind his back. "I just don't know."

"If there's anyone who can get him through this, Kensi…it's you," Sam stated gently. "He loves you more than anything. I truly believe he'll get through this as long as you're by his side."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Kensi said as she looked over where Deeks and Callen were talking. "So I really hope you're right."

xxxxx

The afternoon seemed to stretch on interminably for the team. Deeks felt like hell, but the emotional ramifications of what lay ahead prevented him from even attempting to rest. Kensi kept a close watch over him, but kept her distance. She was certain that Deeks knew she was there for him if he needed her. Callen found that the cumulative effect from his injuries was beginning to take its toll. Exhausted and in a fair amount of pain, he finally went into the tent where he slept restlessly. For Sam, his partner uncharacteristically sleeping in the middle of the day furthered his concern and he found himself obsessively watching Callen and inwardly fretting each time he uttered a whimper or groan in his sleep.

At a little before 5, Bart barged into the tent where Sam and Callen were. "Wake up your partner, Agent Hanna," he ordered, "or I'll have Burke do it for you and chances are you or he won't like that very much." He then left the tent and Sam glanced over at Callen, surprised that Bart's rather loud appearance hadn't awoken him.

"Hey, G?" he called softly as he gently shook Callen's shoulder. "Come on, you've got to wake up."

Callen, who was curled on his side, began to stir. Still half asleep, he rolled onto his back and hissed as the sudden pain jarred him awake and he quickly sat up. "Damn it!" he exclaimed as his eyes opened fully.

"Sorry, man," Sam said. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Callen said although he looked and sounded grouchy.

"Come on…Bart wants us outside."

Callen paled slightly at Sam's words and he stood up and followed his partner outside to where Deeks and Kensi were already standing with Bart.

"Agent Callen, you're awake!" Bart called out. "I thought I was going to have to send Burke in to wake you."

Callen shot Bart a dirty look, but didn't speak, not wanting to antagonize the man who could easily retaliate against his teammates.

Kensi managed to smile faintly at Sam and Callen, but Deeks appeared to be a mess over what was about to happen, looking grim and emotional. Kensi took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Everything is going to be okay," she whispered.

"Carlos!" Bart called out. "If you please, bring the instrument."

"He's a real jackass," Sam whispered to Callen. "He's doing everything he can to make this torturous for Deeks."

Carlos walked over to the group, carrying a long bamboo cane which he held out to Deeks. Deeks' arms remained at his sides as he made no move to take it.

"I suggest you take the cane, Detective or I know someone who will be very glad to take your place," Bart said. He smiled as Deeks reached for the cane, his hand trembling slightly as he did so. "Very good. Now, Agent Blye, will you please kneel down in front of this tree and wrap your arms around it.

Kensi shared a long look with Deeks. "I love you, no matter what," Kensi said loudly. She then smiled at him as if they were the only two people in the world. She knelt in front of the tree as Bart directed and Carlos bound her wrists so she couldn't move away.

"Now, Detective…five hits with the cane and you had better make them count, because if you don't…well…your girlfriend will have a private disciplinary session with Burke." Burke, who was watching from a few feet away, leered at Kensi and licked his lips.

"You really are a bastard," Deeks said to Bart, the pure hatred he felt for the man very apparent from the expression on his face. "Someday you're going to get what's coming to you and I hope I'm the one to give it to you."

"We all have our unrequited dreams," Bart said, smiling unperturbed at Deeks' words. "Now if you please…I'd like to get this over with. I'm hungry and it's almost time for dinner."

Tears in his eyes, Deeks raised his hand and struck Kensi across the back.

"Again!" Bart screamed as Deeks hit her once more.

"Again! Harder!"

"Sam…we've got to stop this," Callen said, making a move towards Deeks. Sam quickly grabbed his friend and pulled him back.

"No, G! If you do anything, you're only going to make it worse," Sam hissed at his partner. "This has to be done."

Callen was pale and appeared upset, but he did as Sam said and made no further attempt to stop what was happening.

Two more hits and it was over. Deeks let the cane fall to the ground and doubled over, feeling as if he was going to be sick. He didn't think he had ever felt so horrible about himself. He was now officially a woman beater…a filthy animal, just like his father…


	21. Chapter 21

"I'll go to Deeks. You go to Kensi," Sam said to Callen who nodded in agreement. Sam then went over to the young detective who was now kneeling on the ground, looking very pale and somewhat dazed. "Hey Deeks," Sam said gently as he squatted down beside him and put his hand on Deeks' shoulder. "Can you stand up? Let's go over there by those trees so we can talk." He indicated an area where they would be able to have a bit of privacy. Deeks didn't move though, nor did he really appear to pay any attention to Sam's words. "Deeks, come on," Sam said, more loudly.

"What do you want, Sam?" Deeks finally asked, looking at Sam wearily. "There's nothing to talk about."

"From my perspective, there's plenty to talk about," Sam said. "Come on, Deeks…please? I'm just asking for a few minutes."

Deeks stared at Sam, his blue eyes filled with anguish. "You have no idea what I'm going through," he said.

Sam shook his head. "I gave my best friend 20 lashes with a whip earlier today," he said, his eyes appearing haunted by the memory. "I think I have some frame of reference in this situation. Come on…just for a few minutes?"

"Fine." Deeks reluctantly followed Sam over to the cluster of trees and crossed his arms over his chest defensively as he waited for Sam to speak. "It's not the same you know."

"What's not the same?" Sam asked quietly.

"What you did to Callen…it doesn't compare to what I had to do to Kensi."

Sam ran his hand over his face then looked back at Deeks. "This isn't some kind of a contest," he said. "Which of us hurt our partners more? I don't think either of us wants to win that one."

"Hurting Callen…that's not the same as having to hurt the woman that you love," Deeks said, very softly, obviously disturbed by the memory of what he had done.

"Maybe not," Sam said quietly, "but it's still not easy…and it still hurt me. I didn't want to hurt him. I hate that I had to. He's gone through enough…too much…"

"He didn't have to," Deeks said quietly.

"What?"

"I offered, Sam. You could have whipped me instead of Callen. Then you wouldn't be feeling whatever it is you're feeling now."

Sam shook his head, his eyes sad as he looked back at Deeks. "I really hope that's not what you think," he said. "Do you honestly think I would have been okay with whipping you? That it wouldn't have affected me?"

"It still wouldn't have been the same…we're not partners. No matter what you say, it would have been different." Deeks looked over to where Callen and Kensi were talking. "I can't imagine what she thinks of me now," he said, filled with remorse over what he had done.

"She doesn't think any differently of you," Sam said, trying to reassure him. "She loves you, Deeks, just as much as she always has."

"Yeah…that's an easy thing to tell myself," Deeks said, "that is until the first time she flinches away from me or looks at me with fear in her eyes…"

"That's never going to happen," Sam said. "All of us know what's going on here. We've all been forced to make choices against our will, to do things we would never do on our own. You know this to be true, Deeks."

Deeks shook his head, totally caught up in his own thoughts. "You just don't get it, Sam…" he said softly. "You don't know…"

"Then help me to get it, Deeks," Sam encouraged. "Maybe if you can explain, I can help you with what you're feeling."

Deeks sighed heavily, his eyes once again on Kensi. "No one can help me with this…"

xxxxx

"Kens?" Callen cautiously made his way over to where Kensi was huddled on the ground at the foot of the tree. He knelt on the ground beside her and looked at her with concern. "Hey…how are you doing?" he asked.

Kensi gave Callen a faint smile. "I'll be fine, Callen," she said. "It's Deeks I'm worried about."

"Sam is with him. He'll be okay." Callen said reassuringly. "Kens? Can I take a look at your back?"

Kensi hesitated and then finally nodded, but she visibly tensed as Callen lifted up the back of her shirt.

"It doesn't look that bad," Callen said, cringing when he saw the damage on Kensi's back. The welts were dark red and angry-appearing, each one with a slight bit of blood showing in the middle of it. Although the marks looked as painful as hell, Callen was relatively sure they would not scar. He hoped not at least, knowing what the physical evidence on Kensi's back would do to Deeks' state of mind.

"Really?" Kensi turned to face Callen as he let her shirt drop back down.

Callen nodded. "Really, Kens…I know they hurt, but…I think they'll fade away in time and it will be like nothing ever happened." Even as he said the words though, he knew that they weren't true. Although the physical evidence might fade away into nothingness, there was no way the psychological wounds of what had happened to them at the hands of Bart would ever be erased.

xxxxx

"Dinner is served," Bart called out. Deeks, Kensi and Sam went over to the table and Callen decided to follow along. Bart raised an eyebrow in amusement when Callen sat down with the others. "I don't recall you being invited to the table," he said to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed when you had guests it was rude not to invite them all for dinner." Callen unconsciously licked his lips as he eyed the pitchers of cold drinks on the table.

"Well, you assumed wrong. Now if I were you, I would leave the table before one of your teammates has to pay the price for your presence."

Callen stared at Bart, mentally weighing his options, but looking at the armed men circling the table and his unarmed friends, he slowly got up and left the table without saying another word.

Bart smiled in satisfaction as Callen left and then turned his attention to Sam. "You may have noticed that this evening's salad doesn't contain any cherry tomatoes. There seems to have been a shortage." Sam's expression didn't change, but Bart laughed anyway. "I actually let that good deed go unpunished. You get some points for cleverness, Agent Hanna, but I'm always one step ahead of you. Your partner got to eat the tomatoes because I chose for him to be able to do so. Unfortunately, for him, there will be no more such treats and any more attempts to give him any will result in very unpleasant circumstances for him and for you. In any case, he's not going to have to worry about his thirst for very much longer."

"What does that mean?" Sam asked, his suspicions immediately aroused.

"It means that the game ends tomorrow."

"How?" Deeks was unable to hold the question inside. "How does it end?"

Bart smiled as he looked at Deeks with false sympathy. "I'm afraid not very pleasantly, but all will be revealed tomorrow. Oh look! Chocolate mousse for dessert. One of my favorites. I suggest you eat up. Chances are it's the last time you'll be able to eat such a lovely dessert."

xxxxx

After Callen was banished from the table, he sat on the ground for a bit but then, feeling a coughing fit coming on, went into the tent where he could more easily muffle it by burying his head into his sleeping bag. He didn't want to give Bart the satisfaction nor did he want to worry Sam. The cough had settled deeply in his chest and caused him a lot of pain in his ribs every time he needed to cough. He vaguely wondered what his back looked like. He didn't think he was particularly vain as far as his appearance went, but it didn't mean he wanted a bunch of crisscrossed lines covering his back either. He badly needed to get some fluid into him. The cherry tomatoes had made him feel a little bit better, but their magic had worn off and he longingly thought how good it would be to drink an ice cold bottle of water.

"G?" Sam walked into the tent and looked at his partner with concern. Callen was curled up on his side but it just wasn't like him to be this tired so early in the evening. Then again, he hadn't been able to eat or drink anything and he still had that cold or whatever it was going on with him. Callen's cough had been worsening, but the partners were avoiding speaking of it, knowing there was nothing they could do about it.

"Hey Sam," Callen sat up and looked back at his partner. "How was dinner?"

Sam just shrugged but his eyes were serious as he began to speak. "Bart said something I think you need to know about."

"What?" Callen asked, smirking slightly. "Is he taking the blankets away too?"

Sam shook his head, looking subdued. "No, G…he said that the game ends tomorrow…"

Callen's expression changed to mirror Sam's. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"I think we know what it means," Sam stated grimly.

xxxxx

"Deeks," Kensi called softly, stopping him before he was about to enter the tent after Sam. "I don't think Sam needs you with him to check on Callen. I'd like to talk to you…please?"

Deeks sighed as he just stood there, facing the tent, not moving.

"Deeks…"

Finally he turned and faced her, looking positively grief-stricken. "Oh baby, please don't look at me like that," Kensi went to him and placed her hand on the side of his face as she stared into his eyes. "I'm okay. I promise."

"How…how can you even talk to me…or look at me…" Deeks whispered.

"I love you, Deeks," Kensi said. "None of this was your fault."

He shook his head. "I should have thought of something…I never should have hurt you."

Kensi looked at him intently. "What could you have thought of?" she asked him. "Callen and Sam haven't been able to think of a way for us to get out of this situation either. You're putting much too much pressure on yourself. You had to do what he said, either that or let Burke have his way with Callen. How would you be feeling if you'd done that? If Callen was lying in that tent beaten within an inch of his life or worse…if Burke had killed him? Would that have made you feel better?"

"No."

"I didn't think so."

"How bad…" Deeks closed his eyes for a long moment and then opened them, watching her closely. "How much pain are you in, Kens?"

Kensi shook her head and smiled at him. "Callen said it doesn't look very bad at all, Deeks. Please don't worry about it."

"I didn't ask you what Callen said, Kensi. I asked you how much pain you're in."

"Some…" she replied, looking down at the ground. "Not a lot."

"Let me see it," Deeks demanded, louder than he had intended.

Kensi shook her head. "No, Deeks, please…not now."

"But you let Callen see it?"

"It's not the same with Callen," she said. "I just…I don't want to make you feel worse than you already feel."

"I don't think that's possible," he said.

"Well…I'm just not ready for you to see it," she said. "Please, Deeks. I'd like you to respect my wishes on this."

He stared at her for a long moment and then slowly nodded. "All right," he said. When it came right down to it, he really didn't feel he had the right to ask her anyway. All he could do was hope she forgave him for what he had done, but he was pretty sure he would never forgive himself.

xxxxx

Remember everything we've spoken of, Mr. Beale," Hetty said as she placed the last tiny tracking device on his shirt. "You know we'll be keeping very close tabs on you and once we get a good idea of what exactly is going on, we will be there with a team and hopefully a successful rescue operation will take place." She looked up at him and smiled. "Please be careful, but I have the utmost confidence in your ability to carry this out successfully."

"Thank you, Hetty," Eric said, giving her a nervous smile.

"Be careful, Eric," Nell said as she put her arms around him and drew him in for a hug. "Remember, we'll be watching and tracking you the whole time."

"I'll remember, Nell. I'll see you soon." Eric gave a quick goodbye wave to the women and headed off to release Michael Shaughnessy from custody and put their plan into action.

xxxxx

Callen hadn't been sleeping well. He'd been tossing and turning since the team had gone to bed, which had been driving Sam to distraction. His murmuring had been mostly undecipherable, but one word stood out clearly among the others and cut Sam to the quick. "Thirsty."

"Sam?"

"Yeah, G, what it is?" Sam asked, creeping closer to Callen's side and looking at him under the dim light of the lantern, which lit the inside of their tent. His hand automatically went to Callen's forehead and his heart sunk when he felt the heat emanating from it. "Are you cold?" he asked hopefully. It was the one thing he could actually help him with.

Callen shook his head. "I'm thirsty, Sam. Can I have some water, please?"

Sam hesitated, feeling as if he'd been kicked in the stomach before he shook his head. "I'm sorry, G. We don't have any water."

"I need to go find some," Callen said as he sat up and shoved aside the top of the sleeping bag and the blankets that were covering him. "I need a drink."

"G, no," Sam grabbed his partner and tried to get him to lay down again, but Callen struggled against him.

"Stop it, Sam," Callen called out, in obvious distress, his eyes glazed from the fever now ravaging his body. "Let me go. I'm thirsty. Why won't you let me get some water? Please!"

By this time, Deeks and Kensi were awake and watching the situation as it elevated, both with despair in their eyes.

"Come on, G," Sam pleaded with his partner. "Just lie down, please? You need to get some sleep. You'll be able to drink soon."

Callen shook his head. "No, no. I want a drink now, Sam. If you won't get me one, I'll get one myself. I need a drink."

"There is nothing to drink," Sam lied. "You can't have anything right now. Just…just go to sleep, G."

"You're lying," Callen said, an accusatory look in his eyes as he stared at his partner. "Why? Why won't you let me have some water? Are you saving it all for yourselves?" He turned away from Sam and glared at Kensi and Deeks. "You're all being pretty selfish if you ask me." He then got to his feet and started walking towards the tent opening.

At that point, Sam grabbed him in a bear hug and pulled his struggling partner down to the ground, holding him tightly. "I'm sorry, buddy," he said, "I can't let you do that."

"Why won't you let me have some water?" Callen asked, struggling futilely against Sam's hold. "You…you're a bully, Sam. You're much bigger than me. Let me go!"

"This is for your own good," Sam said. He could feel that his friend's struggles were beginning to grow weaker and he breathed a sigh of relief. All he wanted was for Callen to tire himself out and get some much needed sleep.

"I…I would never keep water from you, Sam…I wouldn't," Callen said weakly before falling into an exhausted sleep, still in Sam's arms.

"I know you wouldn't, G," Sam said as he carefully lowered his partner back to his sleeping bag and covered him with the blankets. "More than anything, I wish I could get you some water." He went over to the entrance to the tent and looked outside. There were three armed guards within his direct sightline and more of Bart's men milling about a little farther away. He wouldn't be able to go five feet without getting shot down. There was no way to get his partner some much needed water to drink…there was no way at all to escape… although he was beginning to wonder if getting quickly shot down was the preferable option in this whole fiasco.

"Sam?" Kensi came up to him, her eyes sympathetic. "He didn't mean any of that…he doesn't even know what he's saying."

"I know that, Kensi," Sam turned to her with a forced smile. "But he desperately needs water and I feel awful that I can't get it for him."

"Hopefully, he'll get it soon," she said.

Sam shook his head and he turned so that he was facing both Deeks and Kensi. "I don't think Bart is going to be letting him have water…he'd be perfectly happy to let G die of thirst. In any case…I've been thinking about his final game, whatever it may be and, unless we get some kind of help from an outside source…we're not going to be getting out of his. We all know what Bart intends as his end game, just not what sick way he wants to accomplish it."

"Sam…" Kensi said, shaking her head. "We can't give up…"

Deeks took her hand and squeezed it. "Let's listen to him, Kens…" he said softly.

"I can't speak for the two of you," he began, "but for me…" He looked over at his sleeping partner. "And I'm sure for G too…I'm not going to carry out his final plan to finish any of you off…so, if it comes down to it tomorrow, I'm going to try to take someone's gun and take as many of them down as I can before they take me down. I know it's what G will want too. I'd rather just go down in a hail of gunfire than to fall prey to whatever his final chapter is going to be. I'm sure it won't be good for any of us."

Kensi and Deeks shared a long look and then nodded, their mutual decision made. "It won't be just you and Callen," Deeks said softly. "We'll be in there fighting with you, Sam. We won't go down without a fight." He knew the chances that even one of them would survive were extremely poor, but it was the principal of the thing and hopefully, one of them would be lucky enough to shoot Bart and wipe that bastard off the face of the earth.


	22. Chapter 22

t was a very long night.

Deeks and Kensi held each other, neither willing to sleep if this was to be the last night of their lives. Kensi was careful not to show Deeks that she was in pain and he did the same. He knew that he was feverish again, but with what was about to happen, it didn't seem to matter, nor did the infection he knew was festering in his shoulder. He had gotten used to the pain. It was just a part of him now.

"I feel sorry for Sam," Kensi whispered, her eyes focused on the senior agent as he sat with Callen keeping vigil. "I'm sure he's worried about his children. They just lost their mother a few months ago…"

Deeks nodded. "I know…I can't imagine what that feels like. I mean, as horrible as this is for us, at least we're not going to leave people behind mourning for us."

"Deeks," Kensi said reproachfully. "What about our moms? You don't think they're going to be devastated by this? They say the worst loss is that of a child."

"I…" Deeks looked at Kensi and could see the emotion in her eyes. "Yeah, you're right. I just…I guess I didn't really want to think about that." His mom hadn't had the easiest life and now he was going to be bringing her even more grief.

"It's always hardest on the ones who are left behind," Kensi said softly.

Deeks took a deep breath as he tried to keep his emotions under control. They had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but for him, the very worst thing would be, to be the lone survivor. He was sure he wouldn't be able to take that and prayed to God that would not be his fate.

xxxxx

Sam hated seeing his partner like this. Callen was coughing in his sleep and obviously very uncomfortable as whimpered softly and tossed and turned frequently. Sam wished he could do something to help him, first on his list would be to get him some much needed water. He knew G was very dehydrated and that his fever was only serving to worsen his condition. He also couldn't get his mind off his children. He knew that the loss of their mother had caused them both tremendous pain. If they were now to lose him on top of that and G, who they were close to, as well…he couldn't even bear to imagine what that would do to them. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 1:20 a.m. He then looked over at Kensi and Deeks. "I'm going outside for a bit," he said. "I won't be long. Let me know if G needs me."

Deeks and Kensi both nodded as Sam got up and headed outside the tent. Two of the guards looked over at him as they raised their weapons and pointed the rifles in his direction. "I'm just getting some air," he told them. They lowered the weapons but still kept a close eye on him.

He shook his head and approached a third guard who watched him carefully but didn't appear to be particularly menacing. "Hey there," Sam said when he reached him.

"What do you want?" the guard asked him gruffly.

"I was wondering if you might have some paper…and maybe a pen or pencil that I could borrow?"

The guard looked at him in confusion. It was obvious he hadn't expected Sam's request. "What do you need that for?"

"I'd like to write a letter to my children," Sam stated softly. "I know you don't particularly care, but…they lost their mother in May and now it looks like they're going to lose me too. Their mother never got the chance to say goodbye to them. It's important for me to be able to do so."

"I didn't know any of you had kids…"

Sam nodded. "I've got two, a son and a daughter… I just want to let them know how much I love them."

The guard stared at Sam for a long moment and then nodded. "I might have something," he said. "I'll be right back."

Sam hid his surprise at the guard's response and waited for him to return. "Here," the guard said as he handed Sam a notebook and a pen. "I have kids too…two girls…they're with their mother."

"Do you get to see them much?" Sam asked.

"I haven't seen them since I got out of prison."

"Prison?"

"Well, it's kind of obvious I'm no angel, ain't it?"

"So you got out, but now you got involved with this?"

The guard shrugged. "No one would give me a job. Bart and I met up in prison. We were friends. He kept in touch and offered me this gig. I gotta eat and pay the rent."

"I'm sure you could have found something else…now you're just going to be heading back to prison," Sam said.

"Maybe…maybe not. Gotta get caught before that happens."

"Yeah well…" Sam didn't continue as he didn't want to piss this guy off. He was the first one to have treated them with any kind of decency since this whole fiasco had begun. "I guess I'd better go and write my letter…thanks for this."

"You're welcome."

xxxxx

"Any change?" Sam asked as he went back into the tent, clutching the notebook and pen tightly.

Deeks shook his head. "No…he's pretty much the same."

Sam nodded and gave his partner a concerned look. He hated that these days had been so hard for him and that he hadn't been able to protect him or find a way to get him water, which should have been a simple thing to accomplish.

"Where did you get the notebook?" Deeks asked curiously.

"One of the guards," Sam explained. "I want to write my kids a letter…in case I don't see them again."

"Don't give up hope, Sam," Kensi said, appearing dismayed by his words. "We may still get out of this."

Sam nodded. "I hope so, but, I'll feel better if I do this."

"Maybe I'll write my mom something after you're through," Deeks said after thinking it over. "I mean if it's okay…"

"Of course it's okay, Deeks," Sam said. "I guess I'd better get working on mine then." They only had the one pen and he wasn't going to push his luck as far as that went.

xxxxx

When the letters by Sam, Deeks and Kensi, who had decided to write one to her mom, were completed, Sam brought the notebook and pen back outside to the guard who had given them to him. "Thanks," Sam said. "By the way, what's your name? Might be nice to know who I'm thanking."

"Wasn't any big deal," the guard said. "My name is Gary."

"Well, Gary. It might not have been a big deal for you, but it is for me and I'm sure it will mean a lot to my kids." He just hoped someone found the letters and made sure they were delivered to their families.

"You sound like you're already resigned to dying," Gary said, looking a bit troubled.

"Bart informed us that tomorrow is the end of the game. We're pretty outnumbered," Sam said. "I have to admit, I'm not optimistic about our chances. We're unarmed, my teammates are injured and…and my partner is in rough shape."

Gary nodded. "Just so you know…I don't agree with what Bart has done to him, not letting him have water. That's really shitty."

"I don't suppose you could get him any?" Sam asked, with a sudden surge of hope.

Gary shook his head quickly. "Sorry, but Bart made it clear there would be dire circumstances if any of us was to give him water. He really has it in for your partner."

"Yeah, I know," Sam replied, unhappy that he hadn't been able to get the much-needed water for Callen. He'd been briefly hopeful that he'd be able to get some for him. "Well…I'd better get back to him…thanks again for the paper and pen."

Gary just nodded and watched as Sam returned to the tent and disappeared inside.

xxxxx

About a half hour after Sam returned to the inside of the tent, Callen sat up suddenly, clutching his ribs tightly, in the midst of a violent coughing fit. Finally he managed to get his cough under control as he tried to catch his breath, red-faced and in obvious pain. "Damn it," he muttered in frustration.

"G? What can I do?" Sam asked, rattled by his inability to help his ailing friend.

"I…I'm alright, Sam," Callen replied as he shifted to try to find a more comfortable position.

"Sure you are," Sam said, shaking his head helplessly. At least Callen was lucid again so his temperature must have gone down some. "I'm so sorry about this, G…so sorry."

Callen looked at Sam, appearing confused. "Why are you sorry, Sam? None of this is on you."

"I'm sorry that I didn't protect you better. I haven't had your back the way I should have."

"What?" Callen shook his head uncomprehendingly. "This isn't your fault, Sam…I'm responsible for myself. In any case, there wasn't anything you could have done."

"I could have tried harder, G…I should have."

"Please don't, Sam," Callen said, coughing into the crock of his arm as he experienced another fit of coughing. "I…I don't want you blaming yourself after this is all over with."

"What do you mean by that?" Sam asked.

"You know what I mean," Callen said, staring at his partner meaningfully.

"Don't even go there, G," Sam said, shaking his head. "I mean it. Just…just don't."

"Fine." Callen didn't have the emotional or physical strength to even attempt to argue with Sam. It was easier just to go along with him and pretend that everything was going to be okay even though he knew it wouldn't be.

"Listen G," Sam began, his eyes intent as he looked at Callen. "Tomorrow…I don't know when, but at some point, Deeks, Kensi and I are going to try to take Bart's men down, or as many of them as we can. When we do, I want you to take cover just as quickly as you can. Just get the hell out of the line of fire and stay down."

"What?" Callen stared at Sam incredulously as he shook his head in disbelief. "You want me to run away?"

"I want you safe," Sam stated. "You don't have the strength to fight, G. I just don't want to have to worry about you." He glanced over at Deeks and mentally wondered if he had the strength to fight either, but at least he'd been given food and water and had been able to sustain some of his strength. He knew that G was drastically weakened.

"If you guys are fighting, I'm fighting with you," Callen said insistently.

Kensi and Deeks had been listening to the conversation, basically because they couldn't really avoid overhearing it in the close quarters. "Callen," Kensi said. "Let us have your back just this one time, okay?"

Callen shook his head stubbornly. "No. I'm going to be a part of this."

"Come on, man," said Deeks. "You're in no shape to try to fight. Kensi and Sam are right. We've got this."

"Really?" Callen asked. "Last time I looked you weren't exactly in great shape either, Deeks. Do you have access to some kind of miracle cure that I don't know about? Anyhow, there's strength in numbers and you guys are already vastly outnumbered."

"And what if one of Bart's men grabs you and you can't fight back? They can put a gun to your head and that's it. You could screw the whole thing up," Sam said harshly, knowing his words were going to hurt his partner, but still visibly wincing when he saw the stunned look on G's face.

"They could grab one of you too," Callen retorted angrily.

"Not as easily as you…Honestly G, I don't know how you can even stand on your own two feet at this point," Sam said.

Callen stared at Sam for a long moment and then closed off his emotions as he buried himself in his sleeping bag and turned his back on Sam and his younger teammates.

"Come on, G, I didn't mean it like it sounded. I just want you to be safe," Sam pleaded.

Callen remained silent as he refused to acknowledge Sam's words. He wondered how he had gone from team leader to someone who now wasn't even thought of as part of the team. They were treating him like a victim or a child. They thought he was useless…just a liability…

"He'll be okay, Sam," Deeks said quietly. "We're just trying to protect him. This is for his own good."

"Yeah…right…" Sam couldn't help the guilt he felt deep inside him at what he'd just said. Even though his heart was in the right place, he knew G didn't see it like that and he hated that he'd hurt him, especially now when the time they had left could be extremely limited.

xxxxx

Callen tried, but couldn't fall back to sleep. He just tossed and turned as the anger he'd been feeling eventually began to fade. He realized that all of them could be dead in mere hours and being angry with his best friend didn't seem to be the most productive use of his time. He painstakingly turned his body around and sat up as his eyes went toward his partner who was staring off into space, looking extremely troubled.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, G," Sam replied quietly as he looked over at him.

"Are you okay?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah…just thinking about things…"

"Listen…I'm sorry about before," Callen began. "I…I guess I overreacted."

Sam shook his head. "I don't blame you for being upset. I didn't handle that in the right way at all."

"I know you were just worried about me. I think we've got more important things to worry about than my hurt feelings," Callen admitted.

"Hurting you was never my intention," Sam said. "I just want you to get out of this alive…I want all of us to…"

"And you think my not being a part of this is the best way to accomplish it?" Callen asked, looking into Sam's eyes searchingly.

"I don't know," Sam finally admitted. He shook his head uncertainly then gazed back at Callen. "Look G…I trust you to make the right decision regarding this. Just…just do what you think is best, okay?"

Callen nodded. "If I really feel like I can't be of any usefulness, I'll do what you want, but if I think I can help, I'm not leaving you guys twisting in the wind while I run and hide."

"Fair enough, G," Sam said with a nod. "Why don't you try to rest up for a bit? Daybreak is going to be here before you know it." He knew the more rest Callen got, the better off he would be.

"Okay." Callen really was exhausted. He burrowed back into his sleeping bag and had just closed his eyes when he heard a movement by the opening to the tent and he opened them again. A tall guard with red hair and a red beard entered the tent, carrying a rolled up blanket. Deeks and Kensi immediately went on alert as did Callen.

"Hey Gary," Sam said quietly.

"Hey Sam…I got this for you…in case anyone needs it. Temperature is dropping," he said as he handed the bundle to Sam. He then lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Just make sure you don't aim it in my direction. I'm sticking my neck way out by doing this." He then left the tent rapidly.

"What is it?" Callen asked as he, Kensi and Deeks looked on curiously. Sam cautiously unrolled the blanket and his eyes widened when he discovered the compact assault rifle and box of ammunition.

"Oh man," Sam exclaimed softly.

Kensi, Deeks and Callen all exchanged smiles and suddenly the mood in the tent changed dramatically for the better. Finally, they stood a fighting chance.


	23. Chapter 23

Sam's eyes were fixed on Callen who was once again murmuring fretfully in his sleep. Maybe it was a nightmare, maybe it was from being sick or in pain. Sam just didn't know.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Kensi asked. She looked at him through troubled eyes, already knowing the answer to her question.

Sam shook his head slowly. "I don't know which is worse, do I just leave him to suffer in his sleep or do I wake him? Which is crueler?"

"I think I'd leave him until he has to wake up," Kensi answered quietly. "Maybe he doesn't feel thirst when he's asleep."

"Maybe," Sam said although he didn't really believe it. He was pretty sure his partner was now in a constant state of suffering. He noted the exact moment Callen started to shiver and quickly got another blanket which he gently draped over his partner. "Shh…it's okay G," he whispered. "You're going to be okay." He watched as his partner eventually calmed down and settled into a more restful sleep.

xxxxx

"Callen's going to die." Deeks' eyes were filled with despair and he spoke almost robotically, looking to be a million miles away.

"Deeks, stop it," Kensi scolded him in a whisper. "Sam doesn't need to hear that."

"You really think Sam doesn't know?" Deeks asked.

"Don't say that...Callen will be okay." Kensi glanced over at the other set of partners, but Sam didn't appear to be listening and Callen, thankfully, was asleep. "Are you feeling worse?" She reached out to feel Deeks' forehead, but he ducked away from her hand. "This isn't helping anything." Kensi said as she dropped her hand, her eyes still focused on Deeks.

"How's your back?" he asked, finally meeting her gaze, his blue eyes reflecting all the pain he was trying to keep buried inside.

"It's fine," she stated. If he was going to keep his true feelings hidden from her, she was going to do the same thing.

"I know it's not fine," Deeks said.

"It is fine and even if it wasn't, this wouldn't be the time to be worrying about it."

"Sam is worried about Callen," Deeks said.

"Callen isn't doing well. Of course Sam is worried," Kensi said. "You're not doing very well either, no matter how much you try to sugarcoat it. I know the truth."

Deeks neither confirmed nor denied Kensi's words. Inwardly though, he knew that she could never truly understand. He wouldn't want her to. Nor could he explain how every time he flashed back to what he had done, he saw his father's image and wondered if the wicked sickness in him had been passed on from father to son. If that was truly the case, he didn't think it would be something that he could live with. He would rather die than to be like that monster.

xxxxx

"Bart wants you to report for breakfast," one of the guards said as he peered in through the opening of the tent. "Get your asses out there now."

Sam stood up and Deeks and Kensi followed suit, giving Sam a curious look. "Aren't you going to wake Callen?" Kensi asked.

"G isn't allowed to sit at the table, so no, I'm not waking him."

Deeks and Kensi exchanged an uneasy look, already suspecting breakfast would not be a pleasant affair, not that they had ever been under the illusion that it would be. The three of them walked outside and over to the table where Bart sat waiting.

"Where's Agent Callen?" Bart growled as the three team members took their customary seats at the table.

"I didn't think you wanted him here," Sam said pleasantly. "You usually don't."

"Get him or I'll get him for you," Bart said, his eyes narrow and furious. "I highly doubt you want me to get him for you."

"I'll get him," Sam said quickly, inwardly cursing Bart, wishing he could get him alone with no weapons for just five minutes. He'd make him pay and pay dearly for everything he had done to G, Kensi and Deeks. He got up from his seat and walked back to the tent then knelt down beside his partner. He hated to wake him, especially when he hadn't been sleeping peacefully for very long at all. "G?" Sam gently patted Callen's shoulder. "Hey buddy, come on, can you wake up for me?"

Callen's only response was to burrow further under the blankets with a slight groan.

"TODAY, AGENT HANNA!" Bart screamed from outside.

"Bastard," Sam mumbled shaking his head. "G, wake up." He spoke a little more urgently now and used more force as he shook Callen's shoulder. "G, you've got to get up. Come on. Now."

"Go away, Sam," Callen mumbled, sluggish and slow to respond to what Sam wanted him to do.

Sam sighed, hating himself as he slapped Callen's cheek, not very hard, but it was nothing he wanted to do either. He felt like he was picking on a wounded puppy or kitten. "G! GET UP!"

Finally, Callen opened his eyes and looked groggily at his partner. "What?"

"Bart wants us, now. Come on, G. You need to get up." He practically manhandled Callen to get him out from under all of the blankets and the sleeping bag and felt a stab of remorse when his partner started to shiver. Sam wished he had a jacket to give him. Somehow, he didn't think Bart would look favorably upon Callen showing up wrapped in a blanket. "Come on…you have to stand up." Callen managed to get to his feet and stood there, still appearing somewhat dazed. He swayed slightly as he looked to Sam for guidance. Sam shook his head, feeling like a heel as he slapped his cheek once more, this time getting a more desired reaction.

"What are you doing?" Callen asked, partly stunned, but a larger part angry. "Cut it out."

"I'm sorry, G," Sam said contritely. "But we have to go outside. Bart wants you there too."

Finally awake, Callen took a few moments to mentally get his bearings and steel himself for whatever was coming next. He then turned to Sam. "Fine…let's go see what that son of a bitch is up to now."

xxxxx

"It's about time." Bart glared at the two agents when they finally arrived at the table and sat down next to each other. Sam was careful to sit closest to Bart as to keep his partner out of arm's reach. He knew it likely wouldn't protect him at all, but it still made him feel slightly better, having no idea what evil Bart was brewing up.

"You may eat," Bart said. "Then we will get to the business at hand."

"Why don't you just cut to the chase?" Sam said angrily. "None of us want to eat. Just tell us how this damn game ends."

Bart pounded his fist on the table. "You do not dictate the rules, Agent Hanna!" he bellowed. "You will do as I say or suffer the consequences!"

Not wanting to risk the well-being of his teammates, Sam silently began to eat his breakfast and Kensi and Deeks followed his example. None of them even looked at Callen, not wanting to know how he was affected. For his part, Callen just focused his thoughts elsewhere. He was now used to not eating and the thought of doing so actually made him nauseous. Drinking was a whole other matter, but he diverted his attention away from the table and gazed off into the distance, losing himself in his thoughts.

"Agent Callen? Aren't you thirsty? Wouldn't you like a drink?" Bart asked coaxingly.

Callen refused to be baited though. He ignored Bart, not even looking in the other man's direction. "I asked you if you'd like a drink?" Bart repeated, obviously riled by his inability to get a rise out of Callen.

Callen finally turned his head in Bart's direction. "No thank you," he said coldly.

"You're lying," Bart said. "I know you want a drink. Admit it!"

Callen smirked, pleased with his ability to aggravate Bart. "I don't."

"You always were nothing but trouble," Bart snarled. "Why Henrietta took you in is something I'll never understand."

"That makes us even," Callen said, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips. "Why she was ever friends with a piece of scum like you is something I'll never understand." He then turned his attention away from Bart and resumed looking off in the direction of the woods.

Bart stared at Callen, fuming and red-faced, but he didn't say anything else, knowing he would soon be finished dealing with Callen and his insufferable team once and for all.

xxxxx

At last, the intolerable breakfast came to an end and the team sat, looking at Bart, waiting for whatever came next. For his part, Sam was actually wishing the weapon he had been given was small enough to have been brought to the table undetected. If so, he would have just shot Bart then and there. He wondered if that happened, what the result would be. Would Bart's men continue to fight them or would they all just tumble like a falling house of cards?

"Burke?" Bart called out, at that point getting the team's full attention. "Please bring the tray."

Moments later, Burke arrived at the table and placed a tray in front of Bart, openly smirking as he did so. The tray held three different vials, each with a different color liquid inside.

"This is the final part of the game," Bart said loudly and dramatically. "As you can see, I have three separate vials on this tray. "Goldenrod," he said, touching the first one, "amber, and emerald." He smiled almost lovingly as he gently caressed the other two vials. "Two of them contain a deadly poison which, when ingested, will kill almost instantly. The other is harmless."

He turned to Callen, his eyes dark and dangerous. "I'm sure it will be of no surprise to you, that this final choice is yours. I will give you one hour to make it."

Callen shook his head. "What do you mean? Pick who drinks what?"

"Do it however you wish. You don't need to pick who drinks what. Have your team do it. I don't really care."

"There are four of us," Sam said, "but only three vials?"

"One of you will be spared from this unfortunate fate. He or she will be flown to an isolated location, with whoever drinks from the lucky vial. Whether you want your dead companions to accompany you for proper disposal or burial will also be your choice. It will likely only take you a day or two to find your way to help and then return home where you can live the rest of your lives in peace and harmony."

"You've seriously got to be kidding me," Deeks said, his eyes filled with every negative emotion one could think of. "Peace and harmony? After what you've done? The only thing that would ever give me peace is to see you dead or rotting away in an isolated cell for the rest of your hopefully very short and torturous life."

"Yes, well, sadly for you, Detective, I don't think you'll ever receive the peace you may be striving for." Bart turned his attention towards Kensi. "How is your back, my dear? I hope not too painful?"

"You son of a bitch," Kensi said, her eyes filled with rage. "You really are a sick and twisted coward. What did Callen ever do to you?"

"Nothing," Bart said as he started to laugh, almost demonically. "He didn't do a thing, Agent Blye except to be taken in by that woman. She chose not to help me when I needed her help. She turned her back on me and for that, she will be sorry. Now, I will be taking away half her team, which, if you ask me, is more than generous. It could have easily been all of you, but instead, two of you will live to see another day. As far as I'm concerned, my generosity knows no bounds."

No one on the team said another word. They had each seen evil, despicable acts in their lifetimes, more than enough for a hundred lifetimes, but this man and the depths of evil inside of him made each of their blood run cold.

"Burke, escort them back to their tent," Bart ordered as he stood up and prepared to leave the table. "I look forward to hearing your decision, Agent Callen," he said. "I hope it's a wise one."

xxxxx

The team entered the tent, each lost in his or her thoughts, regarding what they had just heard. Callen immediately isolated himself in the far corner of the tent and wrapped himself in two blankets, no longer able to keep up his pretense that everything was fine. He was pale and shivering as he sat and set his eyes on Sam, contemplating what he now believed was a chance to ensure that his partner got out of this alive.

"So…now what?" Deeks asked, looking towards Sam.

"Now…nothing changes," Sam said, keeping his voice low. "In one hour, we make our stand. This is it. We're not playing Bart's little game anymore. It's over."

Kensi looked over at Callen and the two locked eyes. She was pretty sure they were both on the same wavelength. "Sam…" she began. "You need to think of your children."

"I am thinking of them," Sam said. "Every minute I'm thinking of them. I'm trying to do the best I can to get home to them and to get you home to your families as well."

"That's not what she means," Deeks said softly, instinctively knowing Kensi's feelings and pretty sure that Callen would feel the same.

"Well, it's what's going to happen," Sam stated.

"It's not your decision." Callen spoke for the first time since they had entered the tent and he looked at his partner, his eyes filled with emotion. "It's mine."

Sam shook his head. "No. I'm not doing it, G. I can't. I won't."

"If it's true what you just said, Sam," Callen began. "Then this is the only surefire way you can get home to Aiden and Kam alive."

Sam looked at G and then the two younger team members, his face a myriad of emotions. "You trust him?" he asked, incredulously. "After all that he has done? You're telling me you trust that no good piece of shit? Well I don't and I won't. I never will." He turned back to Callen. "G…you've never made decisions like a dictator. Please tell me you're not going to start now. Tell me that if you and I live and Kensi and Deeks die, tell me that you're not going to live the rest of your life regretting your decision today. Look me in the eyes and tell me that. But if you can't…and I don't think you can…we go back to our plan. We do what we can to take that son of a bitch down once and for all…"


	24. Chapter 24

Callen sighed as he considered what Sam said. His eyes went to Kensi and Deeks and he couldn't help but think about the possibility of one of them surviving and the other being left alone. He knew that whoever was left would be utterly devastated. Even worse would be if he himself ended up drinking from the harmless vial. He was pretty sure he would never be able to move past the deaths of both junior team members if they died because of a decision that he had made.

"You can't do it, can you?" Sam asked softly, looking at his partner with an unwavering gaze. He then turned toward each of his teammates in turn. "Look…I understand and appreciate what you're trying to do for me…and for my children, but the three of you are important to me. I would never be okay with two of you losing your lives, not to him, not like this…"

There was a long silence which was finally broken by Callen. "Fine. We'll do it your way," Callen said resignedly. He prayed that it would work. He couldn't even imagine having to face Aiden and Kam if something were to happen to their father. He could picture the hatred and accusation in their eyes, and knew it would be well deserved. If this didn't work, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Thank you, G," Sam said. "I truly think it's the best chance that we have."

Callen turned his gaze to Kensi and Deeks. "Are the two of you okay with this?" he asked.

Kensi nodded silently and Deeks seemed to consider the question for a few moments before saying, "Whatever you think…we've got your back, Callen."

Callen smiled, his eyes full of emotion. "Thanks," he said gruffly. At that moment, he knew without a doubt that this decision was the right one. How could he even have considered acquiescing to Bart's insane demands in his game of death? He loved his team members. They were family and each of them had a right to fight for their life. He would never be able to take that away from any one of them.

xxxxx

"Okay, we need to come up with some kind of a game plan," Sam said once the decision to fight had been made. He turned toward Kensi. "I think it obviously makes sense for you to take control of the weapon, Kens," he said. "Also, it goes without saying that you just need to take as many down as quickly as you can."

Kensi nodded, her eyes deadly serious. "Of course." She would do everything in her power to do what Sam wanted. She knew it was the only way for them to have a hope of surviving this situation.

Sam's gaze then traveled to Callen who appeared to be losing his battle to stay awake. He was sitting up, but his eyes kept closing and it was obvious that he was no longer paying attention. Deciding to leave him alone for the time being, he directed his attention to Deeks. "Do you think you can handle a gun?" He eyed Deeks' shoulder dubiously, knowing the amount of pain the younger man had to be in, but was managing to somehow keep in the background.

Deeks nodded quickly. "I can handle a gun, Sam. Once I get one in my hands, I'll be good to go." He looked over at Callen who had finally succumbed to sleep, his head bowed with his chin resting on his chest. "What are you going to do about him?"

Sam's eyes went to Callen and he sighed softly. "For now, I'm going to make sure he doesn't hurt his neck." He got up and went over to his partner then gently laid him down, adding another blanket to keep him warm. Callen murmured something soft and unintelligible, but he didn't awaken. Once Sam deemed him comfortable, he returned to Kensi and Deeks. "I'll try to wake him a few minutes before the hour is up. Maybe a little more sleep will rejuvenate him." He really didn't think that would be the case, but maybe they would have some luck and a jolt of adrenaline would get his partner through the battle which was to come.

xxxxx

The minutes slowly ticked by as Sam, Kensi and Deeks waited in tense anticipation. Now that the decision was made and they knew they would be bringing this whole thing to a head shortly, they just wanted it to happen. The waiting was excruciating.

"I guess I should wake him," Sam said reluctantly, looking over at G. He wished there was a place he could just hide his partner away where he would be safe until this was over, but if such a place existed, they would all be there right now and none of this would even be happening. He went over to Callen and gently shook his shoulder. "G?"

This time, unlike before, Callen awoke more easily which helped give Sam a bit more peace of mind. "Is it time?" Callen asked, blinking as he tried to fully clear his drowsiness.

"A few more minutes," Sam replied. "You hanging in there?"

Callen nodded as he slowly sat up. "I'm good," he said. "So, what's the plan?"

"Kensi will handle the gun. The rest of us will try to gather weapons from Bart's fallen men and then take down more of them." Sam outlined the plan simply and didn't emphasize any sort of physical contact, knowing that Callen wouldn't stand a chance up against anyone in his condition. "And G…there's no shame in taking cover if you have to."

Callen nodded, not particularly looking like he agreed, but keeping his thoughts to himself on that matter.

Kensi and Deeks watched the two senior partners, both looking relieved that Callen was at least lucid for the time being. Kensi then decided to redo her ponytail, which was a mess, wanting to keep her hair out of the way. She didn't need any distractions. "Are you okay with this?" Deeks asked softly as he watched her. He found everything she did to be fascinating, even something as simple as fixing her hair.

"Of course," Kensi said, looking back at him. "Are you?"

"All-in-all I'd rather be safe at home, cuddled on the couch, watching t.v.," Deeks said, "but this is the next best thing, right?" His attempt at light-hearted humor fell flat and Kensi leaned in and hugged him.

"I love you, Deeks," she said. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he said, a catch in his voice. He returned her embrace as well as he could without hurting her. He hoped and prayed this wouldn't be the last opportunity they would ever have to hold each other. "This…this may not go the way we want it to…"

"I know…but we can't think like that," Kensi rested her hand on his cheek and gazed into his eyes. "We have to believe we're going to get through this, Deeks."

"And if we don't?" He knew he was thinking overly pessimistically but the thought of losing her was killing him inside.

Kensi sighed softly, not answering him. Instead, they embraced each other one more time and just held each other. After a few moments, Sam cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said gruffly, I hate to interrupt, but we need to get a look at the camp, see what our exact game plan will be."

Kensi nodded as she gently pulled herself out of Deeks' arms. She and Sam then walked over to the tent opening and peered outside. There were more men posted on the east side of the camp than the west. "You guys go towards the west," she whispered to the men. "I'll start shooting on the east side to cover you."

Sam cast a doubtful look at his partner. "G, you wait here until Kensi has brought some of them down, then try to go and grab a weapon."

"I can fight, Sam," Callen said. "Anyway, we need to protect Kensi. The tent provides cover but no real protection. We can't have them shooting back at her."

Sam shook his head. "I just don't think…"

"Let him, Sam," Deeks interrupted, offering his support to Callen. "He has the right to try." He also knew that Callen's point about Kensi was a valid one. There was nothing inside the tent for her to hide behind except some bundled up sleeping bags which was far from ideal.

Sam nodded his assent although it was still evident from his expression that he did not agree.

"It's decision time, Agent Callen!" Bart's sing-song voice sounded exuberant as he called to them from outside. "Come along, my little contestants. Come and tell Uncle Bart who wins the grand prize!"

"Take him down first if you can," Callen stated to Kensi who nodded.

"You good, G?" Sam asked his partner.

Callen nodded. "I'm good, you?"

Sam nodded and drew Callen in for a hug. He released him after a few moments and then turned to Kensi and Deeks. "Come on…we've got this…"

xxxxx

Callen, Sam and Deeks left the tent and slowly made their way towards the table via the western side of the camp. As they neared the first group of men, Kensi began shooting over at the eastern side of the camp. Sam immediately jumped one assailant and put him into a choke hold. When he was unconscious, he took his gun and began shooting. Deeks was able to grab a gun from the clenched hand of one of Sam's victims and set his aim at anyone who tried to shoot in the direction of their tent.

xxxxx

Once Kensi started shooting, the first thing she realized was that the weapon she had been given was perfect for her. She had been a little worried beforehand that somehow it wouldn't be or that god forbid it was a setup or a trick by Bart and that the gun wouldn't even fire, but it was no trick. She was able to take down a number of Bart's men in only mere seconds. She didn't see Bart or Burke though so Callen's wish of her taking down Bart was, for the time being, unfulfilled.

xxxxx

Unfortunately for Callen, he was brought down by a larger stronger man, almost immediately, and the wind was knocked out of him. As he lay dazed on the ground he couldn't help but think that Sam had been right, he just didn't have the strength to be of any help. Suddenly, he felt himself being grabbed and pulled roughly off the ground. Seeing Sam and Deeks off in the distance, shooting, he knew he wasn't being grabbed by one of his teammates and he struggled to escape the hold of the unknown assailant who was dragging him towards the outskirts of the camp. "Agent Callen, stop! I'm trying to help you." He hesitated, then realized it was Gary, the guy who had given Sam the weapon. Gary set him up behind a tree and handed him a gun. "Stay here. You're in no shape to be out there. You can shoot from here just as easily." With that, he was gone. Suddenly, they had another gun on their side.

xxxxx

Burke stood outside behind the tent where Kensi was holed up. He was going to teach that bitch a lesson once and for all. An ugly sneer on his face, he took the knife he was holding and began to slice down through the material of the tent. When the long slice was completed, he silently managed to maneuver his large body inside.

Focused on her shooting, Kensi never heard a thing until Burke grabbed her from behind. "You won't be needing this anymore," he snarled as he grappled the weapon away from her and tossed it aside. He then grabbed her. Kensi immediately went on the offense and kicked Burke viciously in his right calf. He momentarily lost his grip and Kensi kicked him again, this time aiming for his left leg. "You bitch," he shouted and grabbed her tighter this time. Kensi sagged against him and then straightened up, ramming the top of her head into the bottom of his chin.

"Aargh!" he shouted as he lunged at her once again.

xxxxx

The combatants in the camp battle had been drastically reduced in number. Some of Bart's men were lying wounded on the ground. A greater number were dead. Deeks couldn't help but notice that no shots had been coming from the tent nor had Kensi emerged. The feeling in his gut told him something was very wrong. "Kensi?!" He ran over to the tent and entered it only to see Kensi who was pinned face down on the ground, Burke was sitting on top of her, grinning lecherously forcing her arms behind her.

"Get off her!" Deeks leapt on top of Burke, pulling him to the ground, ignoring the pain shooting through his arm and shoulder.

Burke grinned at this new obstacle and immediately focused on Deeks' wounded shoulder, aiming a violent punch at it, putting all of his body weight into the blow. The sudden burst of red hot, intense pain entering his shoulder caused Deeks to feel sick to his stomach. Pale, he sunk to the ground, unprepared for the savage hit by Burke.

"Deeks!" Kensi tried to go to him, but Burke grabbed her weapon from the ground and swung it at Kensi's head. She managed to duck away, but not entirely and he managed to still hit her, although with not as much force as he'd intended. Kensi fell to the ground, stunned and Burke went at Deeks again, using the rifle as a weapon and lining up Deeks' shoulder, striking it brutally and repeatedly.

At that moment, Sam entered the tent, his eyes wild as he grabbed Burke and flung him as hard as he could out of the tent. "You want to pick on someone? Try me on for size. Let's go!"

Licking his lips, Burke measured up his new opponent and grinned oafishly as he lunged at Sam. Sam was ready for him though and Burke didn't fare as well against a more evenly matched opponent. Sam was able to get in several unrelenting blows, releasing all the frustrations he had been holding in, ever since Bart had put his plans against them into action. Having Burke in his clutches was almost, although not quite as good as having Bart.

xxxxx

Callen watched the battle between Sam and Burke, ready to shoot if Sam appeared to be in any real danger, but so far his partner was more than holding his own against his foe. Most of Bart's men were dead and Gary had a gun aimed at a group of five men, three who were wounded and two who had surrendered. He had no idea where Bart had gone off to and the thought worried him, but at that moment he needed to focus on Sam. Thus, he had no warning at all when Bart silently approached him from behind and jammed a gun butt into his back. "Drop your weapon, Agent Callen or you're dead."

Callen froze and Bart spoke again. "Drop it now and if you make a sound, I'm going to shoot your partner in the head. I may not be a physical fighter, but I'm an expert shot."

Callen let his gun drop to the ground.

"Good, very good. Now start walking. Head over to the table. Move!" Bart said, keeping the gun harshly buried against Callen's back. Callen was pretty sure the weapon was placed directly on one of the lashes he had sustained as it hurt quite a bit.

Callen shot an anguished look in Sam's direction, but the fight was still going on fast and furiously and Sam was solely focused on Burke.

"Your partner won't be helping you, Agent Callen."

Bart led Callen back to the table. "Sit down," he ordered. The three vials were still sitting there, looking more menacing than ever. "Pick one and drink it."

"What?" Callen shook his head. "No…I'm not going to do that."

"You've got a thirty three percent chance that you'll live," Bart said with a sneer. "Do it or you've got a zero percent chance. You'll get a bullet in the head right now."

As Callen stared at the vials, he couldn't help but think about the Spiral virus and the time he had been forced to drink cyanide. Somehow, he didn't think he was going to be as lucky this time. There would be no miracle cure if he chose wrong. No one even knew where they were. Hetty hadn't given him an antidote to inject himself with.

"Do it now! And don't look to me for any help from my expression. I don't know which one is safe either. When I had these concoctions made up, I made sure to tell my chemist to surprise me. I wanted the anticipation of the game as well."

Callen cast one more desperate look at his partner, mentally trying to get his attention, but it was in vain. He stared at the vials and finally chose the emerald liquid. He picked it up and drank it down in one gulp. He almost gagged at the taste of the bitter liquid as he swallowed it and he knew that he had made a very wrong choice.


	25. Chapter 25

"From your expression, I'm guessing you didn't choose the one with the plain water. Pity. It would have helped you with your thirst." Bart smiled and his smile continued to widen as Callen stared back at him, unable to hide the clear apprehension in his eyes. Callen quickly grabbed the remaining two vials and opened them then dumped the contents onto the ground. Bart watched, seemingly still amused. "It doesn't matter. You already made me quite happy with your choice and hopefully you won't be long for this world."

"Hopefully?" Callen asked. Maybe this poison wasn't the sure thing Bart had led them to believe it was.

"Well, nothing in life or death is a certainty, but I'd say the odds are most definitely not in your favor." He waved his gun at Callen. "Move it."

"Where are we going?" Callen asked, making no move to do as he asked.

"I'm taking you somewhere where you can die in peace."

Callen continued to sit as he stared back at Bart. "No thanks. I think I'll stay here."

"I said move it!" Bart ordered again.

At that point, Callen decided that Bart likely didn't know how quickly the poison would work so he decided he would play possum. He slowly got to his feet and deliberately quickened his breathing and then promptly collapsed onto the ground. Bart stared at him for a few moments and then smiled evilly before he walked off in the direction of where Burke and Sam were fighting. He raised his gun and aimed it at Sam. This was turning out to be an extraordinary day.

xxxxx

"Kensi? Baby? Can you hear me?" Deeks asked softly. He leaned over her, concern written all over his face.

"I'm okay, Deeks," Kensi murmured faintly, as she looked up at him, still obviously dazed from the blow to the head she had sustained. "What about you?" Her eyes went to his shoulder which he was favoring. She knew he had to be in tremendous pain.

"I'm fine, Kens…It takes more than that big buffoon to take me down," he said, forcing a grin. Inwardly, he knew that if Sam hadn't gotten involved, he would have been in big trouble.

He glanced out through the tent opening and saw that Sam and Bart were still going at it. He didn't know where they were getting the energy. Suddenly though, in the background, he recognized the glint of the sun hitting a gun barrel and then he saw Bart. He grabbed the weapon from the ground and flew to the outside of the tent, aiming and shooting in an instant.

xxxxx

Bart was shocked at the loud crack of the gunshot but the sudden pain in his side stopped him before he could get his own shot off. He stared in shock at Deeks who had just emerged from the tent with a gun and then fell to the ground.

xxxxx

Sam and Burke stopped short when the gunshot rang out. They both looked at Deeks and then turned in the direction he had shot to see Bart lying on the ground. Sam immediately trotted over towards Bart and Deeks shepherded Burke over to where Gary was guarding the other prisoners. "Do you have some handcuffs?" Deeks asked Gary. "I don't trust this guy as far as I can throw him." Gary tossed a pair over to Deeks who placed them on Burke's wrists.

"You're gonna be sorry for this you little son of a bitch," Burke snarled.

"Somehow, I'm not too worried," Deeks said. "You got this?" he asked Gary.

Gary nodded and Deeks headed back to Kensi.

xxxxx

When Sam reached Bart, he quickly retrieved the weapon on the ground beside the fallen man. He was about to go in search of something to put pressure on the wound when he noticed his partner sitting on the ground, staring at Sam with an odd expression on his face. As Callen's well-being was much more important than Bart's, Sam went over to him. "G? What is it? What's wrong?"

Callen didn't say anything at first. He just continued to stare at Sam. "What the hell, G. Talk to me," Sam pleaded.

"I…I drank one," Callen whispered. Sam's eyes instantly filled with fear as he noticed the empty vials on the table and he grasped the full meaning of what Callen was saying.

Sam shook his head slowly. "G, are you sure…I mean, are you sure that it was a poisonous one?"

Callen sighed heavily. "Yeah, Sam…I'm pretty sure. Bart said one of them was just water. This definitely was not water."

"Maybe he was lying?"

Callen shook his head. "I…I think he looked too happy for it to have been a lie."

"I'll be right back. Sit tight." Sam cast a quick look at Bart who appeared to be pretty out of it and went back to the tent. "Are you two okay?" he asked Kensi and Deeks.

"We're okay, Sam," Kensi said.

"What's going on?" Deeks asked, sensing that Sam seemed off somehow.

"It's G. He…he drank one of the vials and we're pretty sure it wasn't the harmless one."

"Oh my God, Sam," Kensi said, looking horrified by this latest development. "How is he? What are you going to do?"

"I have an idea. I don't know if it will work, but I have to do something. I was hoping one of you could bandage Bart while I take care of G?"

"We should just let the son of a bitch bleed to death," Deeks said emotionally, "but, of course we won't."

"I don't even know where there's any first aid stuff," Sam said, "but there must be something around here. For now, I need to ask Gary if there's any salt."

"Salt?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah," Sam said solemnly as he nodded. "I have no idea if it will help, but, it may give G a fighting chance." He then quickly left the tent and purposefully strode over to where Gary was keeping guard. "Hey Gary?" he asked. He was very grateful that this guy had switched sides. He was pretty sure they wouldn't have gotten through what had happened without him. He planned to do everything in his power to help him when they got out of this mess. "Do you know if there's any salt around camp?"

"Well, that's the cook's tent," Bart said pointing. "I would imagine he has salt."

"Thanks, how about first aid stuff?"

"That's in Bart's tent," Gary replied. "The one right next to the cook's."

By this time, Kensi and Deeks had joined Sam and heard the last part of what Gary said. "We'll get the first aid stuff," Kensi said. Sam nodded and walked over to where the cook's tent was. When he entered it, he saw the man who he assumed was the cook, cowering in the corner.

"Do you have any salt?" Sam yelled, not in the mood for any of this guy's foolishness.

"It…it's over there," the cook replied shakily as he pointed at a bunch of assorted spices and other ingredients on top of a small folding table. Sam went over to the table and quickly spotted the container of salt which he grabbed, along with some bottles of water. He then headed back to his partner. Callen was still sitting where he had left him. He didn't look like he had moved a muscle.

"Hey buddy, you feeling okay?" Sam asked, kneeling down beside him. He then opened one of the bottles of water and proceeded to pour some salt into it.

Callen nodded and looked at his partner warily. "Can I have some water?" he asked, not acknowledging what Sam was doing with the salt.

"Soon," Sam said as he replaced the cap on the bottle and shook it. He then handed it to his partner. "I need you to drink this, just hold your nose and drink it. Quickly, G. Please."

Trusting that his friend knew what he was doing, Callen twisted the cap off and took a deep breath, then started to gulp down the salt water concoction as quickly as he could. When he was finished, Callen lowered the empty water bottle and almost immediately became violently ill. He threw up the water he had just consumed, plus, hopefully, whatever it was that Bart had given him. Sam was pleasantly surprised at how rapidly the salt water mixture had taken effect. He supposed his partner's general poor condition and dehydration had helped to move things along. He just hoped the poison wasn't already in his system.

xxxxx

Bart was laughing as Kensi put a pressure dressing over his wound. "What the hell is so funny?" she asked, glaring at him. It was impossible to ignore the sound of Callen getting sick and it was making her incredibly tense, knowing he had drank one of the vials which contained poison.

"This…him…this whole situation is hilarious," Bart said. "All of you…you're all just fools."

Deeks stared at him, his blue eyes incredulous. "You've got a really odd sense of humor…you're going to prison. If that's what makes you happy, then laugh away."

"Maybe I will go to prison, but I've still won," Bart said, staring at Deeks. "Do you really think you're going to sleep well when you leave here, Detective? Are you really going to be able to live with what you've done to your precious little girlfriend?"

"Shut up," Kensi snapped. She turned to Deeks and could see that Bart's remarks were getting to him. "Don't listen to him," she said softly. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"You're right about that, Agent Blye." Bart's words were to Kensi, but his eyes were on Deeks. "I wouldn't know what it's like to hit or hurt a woman. "I've never done anything like that."

"No, you just order other people to do your dirty work for you," Kensi retorted angrily. "Deeks would never hurt a woman on his own. He only did what you forced him to do."

"I did no such thing, my dear. I'm sure he could have found a way out of it had he really tried. I think he enjoyed whipping you that way."

"Shut the hell up or I'll make you shut up," Deeks growled, having had more than enough of Bart's taunting.

Bart did as Deeks asked, but the smile remained on his lips as he could clearly see that he had gotten underneath Deeks' skin.

Xxxxx

Sam gently rubbed Callen's shoulder, being careful to stay away from any of the lashes that he had put on his back. He then took a bottle of water and handed it to him. "Drink this, G," he ordered gently. "It's just regular water. Just take small sips."

"Thanks, Sam." Callen took the water and slowly began to sip it, closing his eyes as the cool liquid slid down his sore, raw throat. As good as it was though, he soon began to feel nauseous again and he placed the bottle of water down on the ground.

"Come on, buddy, you have to drink it," Sam coaxed. "You were already dehydrated before you drank the salt water. You need to start replenishing fluids." He knew that what he'd had his partner do could be dangerous, but he had needed for him to vomit up the poison if it was at all possible. "Please, G…"

Callen sighed as he picked up the water and slowly began sipping it again. He got about three-quarters of the way through the bottle when his face paled and he knew he was going to get sick again. All Sam could do was watch helplessly and try to verbally comfort him as best as he could.

"Come on, let's go to the tent and you can get some sleep," Sam said to his clearly exhausted partner when the vomiting episode was over with. Callen nodded and tried to get to his feet. His legs were weak though and Sam put his arm around him and assisted him in getting up from the ground, then supported him on the way to the tent. Once there, Callen curled onto his side then fell asleep almost immediately. Sam covered him with blankets and made him as comfortable as he could. He then went out to where Kensi and Deeks were watching over Bart. "Let's get him over with the rest of the prisoners."

"How's Callen?" Deeks asked as Sam roughly grabbed Bart and pulled him to his feet.

"I don't know," Sam said, shaking his head. "We need to get him to a hospital. You too." He eyed his teammate's shoulder with concern.

"I'm okay," Deeks said, as Bart started laughing.

"Hopefully, you'll never be able to shoot again," Bart chortled gleefully, his eyes also on Deeks' shoulder.

"Keep your mouth shut," Sam growled unceremoniously shoving Bart over to where the others were. "How are you doing, Gary?"

"Yes, how are you doing, my traitorous friend?" All humor left Bart's eyes as he glared at Gary.

"I'm fine, Sam," Gary replied, deliberately avoiding Bart's gaze. "How's your partner?"

"He's hanging in there," Sam said. "Do you need me to spell you here?"

Gary shook his head. "No, I'm okay. You should stay with your friend."

"Obviously he doesn't mean that much to you," Bart said. "If he did, you wouldn't have left him alone. He could be dying as we speak. Hopefully he is anyway."

Sam ignored him although Bart's words struck a nerve. "Do you have more handcuffs?" he asked Gary. Gary nodded and handed a pair to Sam who cuffed Bart and then moved him to the opposite side from where Burke was sitting. "Keep them apart. If they try to get together, shoot one of them. I don't care which." He then headed back to the tent to stay with his partner.

"Do you think we should leave them alone?" Kensi asked, her eyes on Sam. Deeks shook his head. "Let's at least make sure Sam doesn't need anything first."

They followed Sam to the tent and he looked up when they walked inside. "Sam? Is everything okay? Can we do anything?" Kensi asked. She looked over at Callen who appeared to be sleeping peacefully, at least. Deeks eased himself onto the ground and allowed his eyes to close. It was evident that he was nearing the limits to how much his body could take.

Sam shook his head as he watched Deeks. Now that he had access to medical supplies, he decided he ought to take a look at his shoulder. "Hey Deeks? How about you and I take a walk over to Bart's tent? You can show me his medical supplies and I can at least change the bandage on your shoulder."

Inwardly, Deeks couldn't help but balk at Sam's idea, knowing that would hurt like hell. He was about to deny Sam's request when he heard the sound of a helicopter propeller approaching. "Now what?" he asked, sharing a worried look with Sam and Kensi.

"You don't think Bart managed to call for reinforcements, do you?" Kensi asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Sam stated as he got to his feet. "Come on, let's gather up some weapons and be ready to take a stand." He wondered if this nightmare was ever going to end.


	26. Chapter 26

Callen awoke shivering. Still half asleep, he huddled further under the blankets in an attempt to get warm. It didn't really work though and he opened his eyes only to find that he was alone in the tent. Pretty sure that he wouldn't have been left alone without good reason, he attempted to sit up, but found that he was much too weak to do so. "Damn," he murmured as he tried again but once more failed in the attempt. He wanted to go find his team and see what was going on with them, but that was impossible. He hated being like this, helpless and for the most part useless. "You can do this," he whispered to himself as he used all of his strength to make one last attempt. He was unsuccessful though and after raising his torso only a few inches from the ground, he slumped back down as inadvertent tears of frustration brimmed in his eyes.

xxxxx

The helicopter landed in a clearing, a short distance away from the camp. Sam, Deeks and Kensi approached the landing spot and took cover behind some trees as they waited to see who would emerge from the helicopter door. Their eyes widened in surprise when an unfamiliar mousy-appearing man came out first, followed by Eric. Neither of the men appeared to be armed. After a few moments, with no one else seemingly exiting from the chopper, Sam came out from behind the trees, followed by Kensi and Deeks. "Hey Eric," he said with a wide smile. "I can't begin to tell you how good it is to see you."

"Hey Sam." Eric smiled, but it was an obviously nervous smile and he cast an anxious look at the man who stood beside him.

"Where's Bart?" the other man barked, his eyes darting around searchingly.

"I guess you could say he's indisposed at the moment," Sam said, still smiling, but on high alert as he kept his rifle trained on the man. "Who the hell are you?"

"I…" The man stared at the gun for a long moment then looked down at the ground silently.

"His name is Shaughnessy," Eric replied. "Michael Shaughnessy."

"Shut up," Shaughnessy hissed, turning toward Eric. "Why did you tell him that? I thought you were on my side?"

Eric ignored Shaughnessy and turned his eyes back toward the team members. "I'm really glad to see you guys. Are you okay? Where's Callen?" he asked looking around.

"He's not doing so well." Sam couldn't help but notice the smirk that came across Shaughnessy's face at his words and he was overcome by a sudden burst of anger. "You think that's funny?" he asked, as he grabbed Shaughnessy's shirt collar, taking pleasure in the terrified look that came across the man's face. "Do you?" he asked again. "Do you think it's funny?"

"No, no! Leave me alone," Shaughnessy said as he tried to escape Sam's grasp, his voice coming across in a high-pitched squeal.

Disgusted, Sam shoved the man away harshly and Shaughnessy almost fell to the ground. "Eric, please tell me that Hetty knows where we are."

Eric nodded. "She should. She's tracking me."

"Well that's good news. Who's piloting the chopper?" Deeks asked, noting that only Eric and this Shaughnessy guy had come out of the helicopter.

Eric shrugged. "The pilot is still inside the cockpit. I think he was just planning to drop us off."

"What do you think, Sam?" Deeks asked. "Should we hitch a ride back with him?

Depends on how far out reinforcements are," Sam replied. "Let's go see if the pilot has a sat phone. If not, we'll use his radio to get some help sent out to us. Keep an eye on this guy," Sam said to Kensi and Deeks as he headed towards the helicopter.

"He's the one who tried to blow up Callen," Eric quietly informed them after Sam had walked off.

Kensi and Deeks exchanged a glance before Deeks addressed Shaughnessy. "So you're the one who almost got my fiancé killed?"

"That was her own doing," Shaughnessy said, giving Kensi an admiring look. "Bart showed me a video of you performing the rescue, baby, slithering in and out of those wires like a sexy snake. Hot stuff." He looked her up and down lewdly.

"Are you kidding me?" Deeks looked at Shaughnessy incredulously. "You'd better keep your eyes to yourself you little freak if you know what's good for you."

"Deeks," Kensi cautioned softly. "It's okay."

"No…" Deeks shook his head. "No, it's not okay." Now that Bart and his band of goons were restrained and under control, he found that he was quickly reaching his limits, both physically and mentally. "Sit on the ground," he ordered Shaughnessy who quickly obeyed him. Deeks then leaned back against a tree for support and continued to keep his attention on this weasel of a man as he wondered how Bart had managed to find so many bad apples to carry out his plans.

xxxxx

"Got the sat phone," Sam said, grinning, as he came back to where Deeks and Kensi were with Eric and Shaughnessy. "The pilot is okay. He's just someone Bart hired to make flights, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't knowledgeable about his plans. I'm going to let G call Hetty. Do you mind bringing Shaughnessy over with the others?"

Kensi and Deeks nodded. "Get up," Kensi ordered Shaughnessy who rapidly did as she said. Any bravado had quickly vanished from him. He was now as meek as a baby lamb.

Sam hastily made his way back to the tent and entered it. "Hey G? We've got everything and everybody under control, buddy. It's over now. It's really over." He squatted down beside Callen and immediately became concerned upon noticing the tears on his partner's cheeks. "G? What is it? What's wrong?"

Callen met Sam's gaze, too freaked out to even attempt any pretense that everything was fine. "I…I can't stand up, Sam," he replied. "I can't even sit up. I feel really weak."

Alarm bells went off internally, but Sam kept his expression carefully schooled and he spoke calmly to Callen. "Hey, it's okay, buddy. You shouldn't be walking around anyhow. Try not to worry about this. You've been through a lot. Something like this isn't unexpected."

Callen looked back at Sam dubiously. "I didn't expect it."

"Well, here…" Sam dialed Hetty's number and handed the phone to his friend. "Why don't you talk to Hetty. I'm sure that will make you both feel better."

xxxxx

Hetty looked at the unfamiliar number on her caller ID and pressed the receiver button on her cell phone then held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Hetty, it's me, Callen."

Hetty momentarily closed her eyes as she said a silent thank you to whoever it was who ran the universe. She then took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she made a concerted effort to keep her voice steady before speaking. "Why of course it's you, Mr. Callen. Do you think I've already managed to forget your voice? You haven't been gone for that long."

Callen chuckled on the other end of the line. "I know you haven't forgotten me, Hetty."

"How are you?" Hetty asked. "How is your team?"

"Uh…We're a little banged up, but, we'll be okay."

Hetty could tell he was holding back, but she wasn't going to question him now. She was just so glad to hear his voice and to know that they were all alive. There would be time for questions once they were home. "So, I trust you have seen Mr. Beale?"

Inside the tent, Callen looked confused. "Eric? I…" he looked at Sam in confusion. His partner smiled reassuringly and took the phone from Callen's hand.

"Eric's here, Hetty," Sam replied.

"Mr. Hanna. It's good to speak with you. Now tell me, what is it that you need. How can I be of help?"

"I'd like to get us out of here as quickly as possible. We have prisoners who need to be taken in as well. Is a team on the way?"

"Yes, a team is on its way, Mr. Hanna, but tell me is there a sense of medical urgency here?"

Sam glanced over at his partner and nodded instinctively although he knew Hetty couldn't see him. "Yes, I'd say so. We have a helicopter here. I'm guessing that would be the quickest way for transport so they can leave now. I'll send Deeks, Kensi and G on the chopper and I'll stay here with Eric to keep watch until your team arrives."

"Tell your pilot to make contact with USC University Hospital. They have a helipad there. I will speak to them on my end. That will be the best way to get your fellow team members expeditious medical help."

"Will do, Hetty," Sam said. "I'll see you soon."

"I'll see you soon, Mr. Hanna," Hetty replied. "Take care of each other and Godspeed."

Sam clicked off the sat phone and turned back to his partner who was watching him closely. "Okay, G. I guess you heard that. I'm going to go speak with the pilot and see about getting you guys to the hospital, the sooner, the better."

"You're not coming?" Callen asked, gazing back at his partner with an unreadable look in his eyes.

Sam hesitated for an instant, not particularly liking whatever was going on with G, either physically or emotionally. "No, but Hetty has a team on its way so I'll get there just as quickly as I can." He put his hand on Callen's shoulder and patted it encouragingly. "Everything will be okay."

Callen nodded, but Sam could tell that Callen didn't believe his words and if Sam was to be totally honest with himself, at that moment, he didn't believe them either.

xxxxx

"Did you guys talk to Hetty?" Kensi asked Sam as he came over to where she, Deeks and Eric were sitting by Bart and his men.

Sam nodded. "We did." His eyes went to Deeks who was sitting with his back against a tree, his eyes closed.

Kensi's eyes followed Sam's and she then gazed back at him. "He's not doing well," she stated unnecessarily.

"Neither is G," Sam replied. He squatted down beside Deeks and gently rubbed his uninjured shoulder. "Hey Deeks? Can you hear me?"

Deeks moaned softly but his eyes remained closed.

"Deeks," Sam tried again. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you, Sam-dog," Deeks replied, his eyes still closed.

"Come on man… Help me out here." Sam gently rubbed Deeks' shoulder again. "I need to get G to the helicopter."

Upon hearing those words, and always eager to help, Deeks managed to open his eyes. "What do you need me to do, Sam?"

"Nothing… I just wanted to know if you can get to the helicopter. Eric will help you." He sent an inquiring look to Eric who nodded. "I need to carry G."

"Sure, I can do that," Deeks replied, trying to open his eyes wider so that he appeared more alert than he actually was. Sam then helped Deeks get to his feet and Eric quickly moved over to help support him.

"I'm going to go get G," Sam said. "I'll meet you guys at the helicopter."

"Some of us are injured here too, Agent Hanna," Bart called out. He'd been carefully watching and listening to everything Sam said. "We deserve medical treatment as well and I know for a fact there is plenty of room on that helicopter to transport us."

Sam cursed under his breath. He hadn't even been thinking about Bart or his injured men. As much as he didn't want to send them on the flight, he realized he needed to. He didn't want to take any chances that his treatment of the prisoners would cause problems in prosecuting them down the road. He knew he would now be going along as well, not willing to transport Bart without being there to guard him. After making a quick phone call to Hetty to inform her that there would be more than just the three team members being transported, he helped move Bart and the other injured men along to the helicopter. He then made sure the men being left behind were secured so that Gary and Eric wouldn't have any problems with them.

"You sure you're going to be okay here, Eric?" Sam asked as he and the younger man made their way over to the tent where Callen was.

Eric nodded. "I'll be fine, Sam…so, how bad off is Callen anyway?"

Sam hesitated a few feet away from the tent opening then shrugged. "He's gone through a lot, Eric and then was poisoned on top of it. I thought maybe we got it out of his system, but now…I just don't know…"

Eric nodded seriously. "Callen's tough though. I have a strong feeling that he'll pull through."

"I hope you're right." Sam went into the tent with Eric following behind. "Hey G…you ready to get out of here?" Sam asked as he reached down and pulled his partner up into his arms. Callen's silent acceptance of this act did nothing to reassure Sam about his condition.

"Hey Eric…good to see you," Callen greeted solemnly.

"Good to see you too, Callen," Eric replied with a tense smile which did not reach his eyes.

"Eric? Can you grab a couple of sleeping bags and some blankets?" Sam asked. "Whatever you can carry."

"Sure Sam, no problem." Eric took two sleeping bags and an armful of blankets and followed Sam to the helicopter. Once they were inside, Sam proceeded to make his partner and Deeks as comfortable and warm as he could. He then walked to the door of the helicopter with Eric.

"Thank you for staying here, Eric," Sam said. "The team should be here before too long."

Eric nodded. "I'll be fine, Sam. You guys take care of yourselves. Have a safe flight." The two men shook hands and Sam watched Eric as he made his way off the helicopter and headed over in the direction of the camp. Sam then closed the door tightly and walked over to his partner then sat down beside him. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of the helicopter propeller, the engine roared to life and they began their ascent into the air.

Finally, they were on their way home.


End file.
